Fun Size
by AtrophiedHeart
Summary: TF Prime, 1/2. Rated teen for violence... Starscream didn't ask to be six feet tall, missing his T-Cog and wings with only a pair of humans and a clone of himself for company. He didn't ask to be an outcast, or to feel so alone. He didn't ask for the Autobots to get involved… and definitely didn't ask for friends. So… does he want them?
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hi everyone! I own none of the _Transformers_ characters or storylines, all of those are **© **Hasbro and/or their respective owners. The OCs are all mine, however. This story used to be on this website, first called "Halloween" and then "The Sky's the Limit," written by RenegadeStarscream (me). I've tweaked it, polished it, and finished it. "Fun Size" has 29 chapters, and a sequel with more. (41, including the epilogue.) They both are done and done with extra done. I love reviews, and if this story receives a positive response, I'll post chapters faster for those of you who would appreciate that. I read them all because every person has something to say, not that they have to say it. But if you don't like something, I'm not looking for a hate speech. However, all feedback, positive and negative, feels fantastic to get. It's motivational and also gives me a sense of what you want to see versus what you don't.**

 **Okay, I'm done rambling about reviews. You get it. So have fun with this. And if you all want more, don't hesitate let me know, because there's _a lot_ more where this came from.**

 **Pro tip: get popcorn, get the references, don't panic, yeah. I'm done. *mic drop***

* * *

 **Fun Size**

Prologue

"Leaving so soon, Oliver?" Melanie pouted, flashing me a frown as she brushed her hair out of her eyes. But the look didn't quite work: she had a pen between her teeth and ink smudges on her cheeks from trying to click it on her jaw, except doing so on the wrong side.

"I promised a friend I'd visit, and I have a feeling he'll want me to give a lecture or two to some kids on advancements in sciences. We have the Cybertronians to thank for them, after all."

"You know that you two are practically celebrities of the nerd world." She reminded, referring to Will and I.

"A world you're a part of, you can't hide your equations from me." I simpered, tugging a book out of my bag. She threw a crumpled-up piece of paper at my head. I spun around sharply, "What was that for?"

Melanie didn't answer, but removed the pen and came closer, looking at what I was holding: a battered paperback copy of _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_.

"Nerd." she accused.

I let out a bark of laughter, "You've got all the geeky tees, so you're one to talk."

She leaned in further as I flipped through the pages, pretending to not have heard. "What is that?"

I didn't answer, gingerly pulling out an even more battered piece of paper. To be precise, a folded-up photograph nestled against page forty-two. I unfolded it slowly, making sure not to crinkle the scotch tape holding its tears and holes together.

Younger versions of myself and Will grinned up at me, looking as though we had just staggered off a rollercoaster. Surrounding us on both sides were a number of Cybertronians, but they were more than just giant robots. To me, they had become an extended family.

"That's sweet," Melanie smiled as I carefully folded it back up.

"It was a long time ago." I said absentmindedly, tucking it back in between the same pages.

"A lot can happen in eleven years, Oliver. Will he even remember you?" she prodded.

"I've kept in touch, don't worry." I countered, tapping the top of my bag. "It probably hasn't even felt that long to him, their life spans are far longer than ours and you have to factor general relativity into the mix."

A "just you wait" look drifted over her face. "He might not recognize you."

"That'll give them all a shock," I grinned mischievously and spread my arms wide as if addressing an audience, "The President of the Galaxy has returned–"

"No, we are _not_ going there." She interjected, looking away while biting her lip to suppress a laugh. "I have to ask, of all the places, why keep such a nice photo wedged in a book?" she pried. "Especially that one."

I tapped the side of said book affectionately, "It serves to remind me that nothing is truly impossible, just maybe very, very improbable. And meeting as well as getting to know them–" I slid the book into my bag, then zipped it closed, "–was probably the most improbable thing that's ever happened or going to happen to me."

Melanie awarded me an offended smile, "Maybe so, but I should hope that marrying the one girl you had a crush on since forever is a close second."

I returned the look, "I'll have to think about that one."

She scowled sarcastically, "Oh, don't you just have a heart of gold."

"Ha, ha." I groaned.

"Page forty-two is a nice touch as well." She added.

I gave her a mock bow and pulled an alien device (yes, literally) out of my bag. "I should be going, or a certain giant robot will make my life h–"

"Don't have too much fun." she warned, twisting the gem of ring on her finger: a cut jewel of blue energon in a clear casing so she wouldn't get a burn from touching it.

"No promises," I gave her a light peck on the cheek and activated the device, instantly creating a swirling white-and-green portal that glowed invitingly.

"I'd love to come," she said with an air of finality, "but I'm scheduled to oversee a new asteroid redirect mission the day after tomorrow–"

"It's okay. I might bring you back a soil sample. I'm packing containers." I slapped the side of my bag.

"Ha, ha. How considerate of you."

Waving sarcastically, I strode through the ground bridge, lugging my bag and suitcase behind me.

It still took my breath away. I'd been informed that a few bots had made a room safe for humans, due to Cybertron's deadly atmosphere. Behind the glass walls, seeing Decepticons and Autobots off in the distance, sparks flying, it was almost as if nothing had changed. Almost. Though if I squinted, I could see beams being raised, everything from bridges to skyscrapers being built.

"We came so far," I breathed.

A voice made me whirl around. "Welcome, Earthling."

"Ha, ha. Long time no see." I grinned up at the mech who towered well above me.

His azure optics rolled in a dramatic circle, the glow disappearing for a split second. "Oliver, it has been awhile. You've changed so much." he said quietly, "Aged."

"On my planet, that's an insult."

A grin split his faceplates, "Oh, I know."

"And you haven't changed at all." I countered, returning the look.

"Maybe…" he mused, humming lowly, "were it not for you, I would not be here."

"Nor would I." I agreed. A moment of silence ensued, but it was a welcome one.

"I never did thank you," he said, "all these years have passed by and we've hardly exchanged a word."

"It's not your fault," I laid a hand on his pede as he knelt beside me, "life goes by fast, you said it yourself. No matter how many commas are in that number."

A sarcastic frown fell over his expression, "If memory serves, commenting on one's age is an insult."

I looked out over Cybertron, seeing the endings of its star, Hadean, setting shyly on the horizon. The silvery landscape still bore some resemblance to the pockmarked, war-torn graveyard this planet had used to be, if I could judge by what I'd heard from the other bots and Jack. Towering megalopolises were being rebuilt, the construction sparkling in the twilight. Next to them, vast metallic plains glittered, mostly barren, but certainly not lacking a foreign beauty.

"How've you been?" I finally asked, watching the silhouettes of the bots working off in the distance.

"Not so bad, though I miss Seven. He comes and goes from your planet, but I assume being an ambassador requires quite a bit of that. In our free time, we've been kept busy building a starship. It should be ready for flight within the next month. But I miss all of you," he replied softly, stretching out next to me, arms crossed behind his sleek helm. "I've been kept busy, but not with fighting. Thank the Allspark that's over with, I don't know how much more I could have taken."

"I feel for you."

Silence settled upon us like a thick blanket. The reddish starlight settled on his features, softening them and making his optics a dull violet. "Some nights I wake up screaming," he confessed quietly.

I looked up to him, biting the inside of my cheek. "I… I know the war was hard on you. If there's anything I can do…"

"No… believe me that if this is all there is, I'm grateful. It could have been a whole lot worse. As for the war, well, I wasn't exactly soft on it either." A tense, forced smile flickered across his features.

We both laughed at that, watching the star fall beneath the horizon.

"Allow me to show you something," he urged excitedly, standing now.

Curious, I followed, having to jog to keep up with his long strides. He stopped in front of the glass, and I saw that there was a door set into it. "I'm not going out there: Cybertron's atmosphere is toxic."

He cast a sideways grin at me, "A lot can happen in eleven years, Oliver." And with that, the massive door swung open. I took a huge breath and held it, terrified. He stepped through to the outside, beckoning me on. Figuring I was done for no matter where I was by now, I followed, my lungs beginning to cry for air. His grin widened and he pointed to something a few steps away from me on the ground.

I fearfully exhaled, and then greedily gulped down air. It felt cool, refreshing, even, but had a slight metallic tang to it. "What! What did you do?"

He pointed to the same spot, jabbing his finger a bit more insistently. I followed it to the ground and gasped. A little seedling of a plant, growing on a _metal planet_ with a _poisonous atmosphere_ stared back, fresh and green. Then again, I was breathing after all, and nothing's impossible.

"Only improbable…" I breathed.

"Mhm?"

"What? Oh, nothing."

"Earth and Cybertron are inextricably linked, as Megatron put it. He wasn't wrong. But our populations know of each other, and the very planets themselves are linked, isn't it only right to let our species commingle?" He gave me a look as I fingered the leaves of the fragile plant in disbelief.

"Genius," I breathed, "you're a genius."

"I wouldn't."

"What?" I asked, petting the green leaves.

"That's poison ivy." He said. I jumped backwards, cursing and wiping my hands fervently on the legs of my pants as he doubled over in laughter, "I'm only joking!" The smile faded, "Even though I would love to take credit, it isn't due to me. I've just been the one overseeing the terraforming of our planet."

I looked up at him, then at Hadean's tip, bleeding onto the horizon. "You have changed: for the better. And Prime was right," I smiled, "it does suit you."

We shared a smile. The stars slowly came into view, clustered between Cybertron's massive moons. The Milky Way looked different from here, its center was noticeably higher in the sky, a bit dimmer, but still a familiar sight more or less. To think that of all the little points of light were stars spattered across the sky, my home orbited one.

But after all, it wasn't really that far away.

* * *

 **A/N: This is technically the ending to the entire story, the first and second fics. (No spoilers for you.) So after you finish, that means you read it again and wonder where the time went. (ha) I won't leave many author's notes, so you all get to be spared of my rambling. But that doesn't mean the characters don't get to. ;)**


	2. 1 - Halloween

I - Halloween

 _Twelve years earlier…_

I looked up from my shining, newly finished Halloween costume. I sighed, thinking of how few Halloweens I have left. Being fourteen, my trick-or-treating days were certainly numbered. My costume laid on my bed, every part in its place, besides the fact that I wasn't inside of it. I ran my hands over the chest piece, not only admiring it, but checking its sturdiness before I would go out. The costume was a well-done cosplay of my favorite character from a TV series, Transformers: Prime. Starscream.

Up high on my wall next to posters of certain bands, soccer teams, and nerdy things hung an antique clock that looked completely out of place. My dad had found it at a garage sale down the street a few years ago, he had a thing for antiques. It was a bit battered and was missing the tip of the hour hand, but I didn't waste my breath on complaints. It worked, and if everything anyone owned was always shiny and new, the world would have a whole lot less character. My eyes fell on my costume again. I smirked: it isn't bad to have a few shiny things either.

I conveniently looked up at the clock just as the hour hand hit seven p.m. The sun had already begun to set, slowly getting swallowed up by the west horizon. It bled stunning amber and strawberry hues into the clouds. Above it, dusk fanned its broad wings, shrouding the landscape below. These Californian sunsets always were spectacular, I've never gotten tired of watching them. We lived far enough from any major cities to have a pretty clear view of the sky each night, granted there weren't any clouds. Excitement began to course through my veins: it was October thirty-first. I got into my costume, tugging the boots on first. I refused to call them "heels." My friends, Will and Tony, knew who I was going as, but hadn't seen the costume yet. I considered it to be well-done, especially because I had done almost all of the work myself.

I got into the rest of the costume without too much difficulty, strapping on the wings and jet engine between them to my back beneath the armor and making small, final adjustments. Cautiously moving in front of my mirror, I surveyed my new shining armor. It was satisfying to see that I looked like Starscream's double, if only in miniature. All that hard work leading up to this wasn't wasted after all. The twin missiles glinted on my arms, basking in the bright light from my lamp.

"Yes!" I exclaimed quietly after examining every angle of it in my full-length mirror, able to maneuver my arms and legs without stressing the armor. And my wings, towering up behind me, would certainly get in the way if I went in a confined space. I planned on being outside until the most ungodly hours of the morning, so it shouldn't matter. It was a shame that the mouth wouldn't move on my mask, however, no one's perfect.

I strutted out of my room, very in-character, and downstairs into the kitchen, where I picked up my orange pillowcase which I would use for carrying candy. Very out-of-character. If Starscream actually existed outside of CGI and voice actors, he would definitely have disapproved. My mom entered the kitchen, taking me by surprise and jerking me out of my thoughts.

"Hi, Mom! What do you think?" I said, dropping my pillowcase and turning in a slow circle so she could see all the angles of the costume.

"Oliver, you have outdone yourself!" She exclaimed, and I grinned beneath the mask.

"My friends definitely will think I don't have a life now." I huffed, and my mother rolled her eyes, pushing a strand of chocolate-colored hair out of her eyes.

"I bet they already do, but they'll love it, just you wait." She replied, smiling. Will and Tony also were huge TFP fans, but they were going as different characters from different movies, or… whatever. Will was going as Boba Fett, and Tony was going to be a goth/hippie. I was curious to see how Tony's costume had turned out, considering goths and hippies are pretty much polar opposites.

Turning towards the door, I bent down to retrieve my pillowcase. Mom stopped me, noticing something on my helm.

"Wait! You have a smudge on your helmet." She came towards me, trying to wipe off the scar underneath my right eye, which was not a smudge but part of the costume. Starscream's "famous" scar underneath his right optic, a gift from Arcee.

"No, mom, that's a part of the costume! I said, backing away, stumbling slightly in the high heels. Yes, unfortunately they were a _necessary_ part of the costume to boot.

"Okay, fine" She said, backing off, but still smiling. "You really are rocking those heels." She teased. My face warmed behind the mask, but at least she couldn't see it.

"I'd better go, I promised my friends I'd meet them at the park." It was about two miles away, and my wings couldn't fit in a car. Besides, I liked walking.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?" She asked once more.

"Thanks, but I'd rather walk. Besides, there's no way my wings would fit in a car." I reiterated, shaking them a bit for emphasis. Waving, I exited through the front door and out into the twilight streets. The door closed behind me as I strode down the front three steps. I turned right, heading down the sidewalk to the nearest house with its outside light on. I stopped for a second as my eyes caught a flicker of movement in the corner of my vision. I thought I saw a figure standing on one of the foothills ringing the lake by our town, but it disappeared and I boiled it down to my imagination.

* * *

Starvation and desperation, a wedded couple if I've ever heard of one. They were what had brought me here, chasing a faint energon trail to an arid corner of what humans call "California." My energon reserves were at an all-time low, a mere fourteen percent. To put it simply: I was royally fragged if this signature turned out to be born of faulty sensors. I'd resolved not to get my hopes up about anything a long while ago. I'd never earn my place as the leader of the Decepticons, never be fully accepted by their ranks either, never respected or feared. Not even accepted into the Autobots' fold when Airachnid betrayed me, frag that glitch to the Pit.

Of course, I would never admit any of that aloud. It was pathetic. Everyone would think that the X-SIC of the mighty Decepticon army was an utter coward, backstabber, self-serving–

I started, realizing that everyone already did. As if my exile wasn't painful enough: I hardly had enough energon stored up at my base to refuel myself, I had teetered on the brink of offlining from starvation for months.

"How is it that I have been reduced to seeking energon scraps, merely to survive?" I grumbled to the air and glared at the nasty orangish soil clotting my pedes and servos. The latter were not meant for digging, more for stabbing and clawing at things… or bots I wasn't terribly fond of.

 _Like Cliffjumper._ I smirked, recalling Arcee's disbelieving reaction when she found out thanks to that little careless slip of my glossa.

I scraped another small pile of dirt out of my way, digging deeper to get to the energon crystals. But a flash of movement in the corner of my optic jerked my attention away from my tedious-but-hopefully-rewarding task.

Megatron was barreling at me, completely out of the blue. I caught a glimpse of the Autobots and a few Decepticons standing behind him in silence, before they focused their attention on each other.

My first instinct was to flee, transform into a jet and fly back to my more-or-less temporary base, the _Harbinger_. That brought a painful reminder that I no longer had possession of my T-Cog, thanks to those monsters who called themselves MECH.

I jolted back to the present and did the only thing I could do: run for it. My streak of bad luck had to be miles long.

I risked a glance behind me. Megatron had the relic held high in his servo, all the others were engaged in battle against one another. As usual. The relic was a staff, slightly longer than his arm, looking nearly identical to the Immobilizer, save for being gold instead of silver. That wasn't what I had expected in the least. _So it's a weapon._ My optics widened as he pressed a hidden button and fired a swirling beam of red energy at me. I realized too late that I couldn't possibly dodge it, however agile I was.

"NO!" I shrieked, raising my servos in a fruitless attempt to block the beam. It hit me square in the faceplates and didn't hurt, surprisingly enough. However, I did fall unceremoniously onto my aft from the force of the shot, my vision blurring. If he had used his fusion cannon on me, it would be a different story.

I blinked, getting to my pedes, dumbfounded and beyond happy that I was still functioning. Megatron had made a grave mistake in allowing me to live, and I intended to teach him a lesson.

Fuming, I raised an arm to fire the gleaming missile mounted on it when the world began spinning around me. The ground that used to be firm was a churning liquid underneath my pedes, the sky swirling. Losing my balance, I fell to my knees. The world blurred around me, but somehow I managed to crawl away, collapsing at times when this insufferable dirt lurched underneath my knees. Time lost meaning as I slowly made my escape, only thinking to escape from the churning planet and Megatron, and loathing how pathetic this must look. I crawled into a narrow gap between boulders, wings flat against my back. Hardly able to move or see, I laid down, finally giving in.

* * *

I hadn't been out for long: my audials still picked up the clash of battle, somewhat distant. That blip of unconsciousness hadn't helped, it only made me feel more fatigued. Not noticing it immediately, I realized the dizziness was gone.

" _Thank Primus_!" I gasped quietly, clawing my way out of the crevice and brushed the dust off my shoulders. I had to climb upward… everything seemed much larger than it had before I'd fallen unconscious. I blamed it on my previous disorientation. Only naturally, just as I pushed myself up out of the hole, a stray shot from a cannon hit the ceiling above me, pebbles raining down. Rushing out from my hiding spot, I tensely looked up at the natural ceiling above me. By the look of it, I had crawled underneath a massive natural overhang. My optics widened as rocks broke off, falling in slow motion. I shivered, remembering the time not all that long ago when Megatron attempted to terminate me at that old energon mine, but only managed to bring down the roof on top of us. I hated confined spaces, no way in this universe was I going to be buried underneath a pile of rubble again. I dove out of the way just as a boulder crashed into the dirt, clipping my pedes. An explosion of dust rolled over me. Rolling out of the way, I sprang to my pedes once I was out of immediate danger. I raced forward towards the sounds of battle as more rocks exploded against the ground behind me.

A particularly large boulder crashed to the ground in front of me, blocking my vision. I raced around it, and ended up locking optics with none other than Megatron himself, about thirty meters in front of me.

"Starscream." He growled, holding the ray up once again like one would a javelin. I glanced up quickly, revealing that I– _we_ were no longer underneath the overhang. I didn't waste time chatting and instead sprinted off in the other direction, my pedes kicking up little sprays of dust. I scrambled up a hill, with each step the ground behind my pedes erupted from the fusion cannon of a certain homicidal tyrant.

Another shot flew past my helm, fired from Megatron's cannon. It hit a rock and shattered fragments flew everywhere. I ducked, shielding my optics. The rain of pebbles ceased and I resumed scrambling up the face of this huge hill. I nervously pressed my wings flat against my back to disguise my location from prying optics. The last thing I needed right now was to be shot, I was starving already. I simply didn't have the resources to sustain more wounds. That brought on a painful reminder of the fact that I hadn't consumed any energon in over three days, and my reserves were low before that. The dryness at the back of my throat, aching hunger, and decreasing digits displaying my tank levels were bad enough. But my supply of energon at the _Harbinger_ had reached a critical low, and I only wanted to use it for medical purposes now.

More than ready to leave, I reached for my ground bridge remote, tucked away into a gap between my thigh plating. "This whole endeavor has been nothing more than a bust," I muttered, feeling for the remote. But it wasn't there. "Frag!" I spat. The device must have fallen out when I was crawling for my life, left somewhere back near the relic.

Faint sounds of battle still tickled at my audials. It wouldn't be safe for me to go back over there anytime soon. I scowled.

My internal clock read 7:13 p.m., Earth time, and the natural light was fading fast. The last thing I wanted to do would be trying to evade Megatron without being able to see. I flipped over the top of the hill, panting more slowly as my panic subsided. None of the others appeared to care about my disappearance, which was as it should be. The _Harbinger_ was very far away, it would take weeks on pede for me to reach it, assuming I didn't get my T-Cog back anytime soon. I sighed, thinking for the second this most certainly would not end well.

I surveyed my new view, a small human city sprawling a short ways down off the other side of the hill. Other than that, there was a rather large lake with a river connected to it bordering the west side of the city. I started towards it, not caring who or what saw me. If I found any energon scraps there, no matter how small, this failed excursion wouldn't be a complete bust. But things weren't exactly looking up.

About thirty minutes later, I arrived at the city, not bothering to hide, nor having enough energy to do so. I was dead on my pedes. An alert popped up in my vision, a suggestion to enter stasis lock. I jumped. I wasn't _that_ tired! But I told it no and ran a quick systems check, seeing for the first time how low my energon levels were. My energy was depleting too, something I didn't need a diagnostic to tell me. I was exhausted.

Something was off, but I couldn't place my finger on it. My processor felt slower than usual and I had trouble focusing. But that wasn't it. All the humans seemed huge… not to mention their surroundings. A more likely idea surfaced in my dazed thoughts: what if I was _smaller_? I looked at my servos, counting each finger like I wasn't sure what the total would be. I didn't think I had fully registered what had happened. Which was just as well, and I forced myself to focus on a more pressing matter: energon.

I surveyed my surroundings and noticed that there were many younglings wandering around in various costumes. _I will never understand stupid human customs._ The weirdest thing was that I walked down the street, in plain view, and none of them cast a second glance at me. I couldn't believe I hadn't drawn stares, surely it wasn't everyday that these pathetic humans saw a Cybertronian—a far superior life form—casually walking amongst them. Oh well. I had better things to be doing than wonder about the humans, energon was my priority.

"Nice wings!" A passing youth exclaimed, reaching out as if to brush one. I slapped his organic servo away before it even came close.

I didn't notice the two young humans approaching me from behind until one clapped its soft hand against my back. I spun around, startled, thinking for a second that an Autobot was going to cave my helm in.

"Hi, Oliver! You look amazing! Is this real metal?" He said excitedly. The boy wore a strange outfit, he had long, black hair tied back in a rainbow bandana, black lines around his face and mouth, and other strange clothes that had a mixture of black and rainbow colors. It hurt my optics to look at.

I jerked away from him, but my reflexes were slower than usual. "Get your filthy organic servos off me!"

The boy wasn't intimidated. "Daaaang, you even can do Screamer's voice!" He exclaimed, and his counterpart behind him nodded enthusiastically. The other boy was about the same age as the first, but wearing a completely different costume. It looked mechanical but much more like a suit than his actual body, filled with bumps and ridges as well as gouges in the otherwise shiny green armor.

The first boy had caught me off-guard. "How do you know my designation? And why exactly would I would not be able to speak?" I replied, annoyed, my processor still feeling a bit foggy. If I had been full-sized, I would have crushed these two insufferable insects under my pedes by now.

"Drop the act, Oliver. It's cool, but we're your friends, you don't need to keep it up for us." He rolled his organic optics and I snarled. But then I blinked, realizing exactly what he had just said. This human was obviously mistaken about who I was, but he had called me a friend. Even coming from a mere human youth, the compliment felt good. Mistaken or not, no one had called me their friend since… since… that was a dark thought. I couldn't even remember the last time someone had, but it didn't matter now. Too late to go back.

 _No regrets?_ A little voice piped up.

I tottered on my pedes. I didn't need friends. To Pit with the Autobots and Decepticons, I didn't care! So what if I was getting lonely in the _Harbinger_ , at least I didn't have Megatron breathing down my neck cables! And in the derelict, empty ship, I no longer needed to worry when the next beating would happen, and how bad it would be.

Regaining control of my emotions, I leaned in closer to his face. I could smell his gross, hot breath against my faceplates. How revolting.

"Listen here, human. Leave me be! I don't know or care who this 'Oliver' is, so get out or get scrapped!" I spat, clenching my servos and hating how my voice slipped up an octave.

He appeared unperturbed, "C'mon Oliver, let's just go get some candy already! Just drop the act, _or I'll make you pay!_ " He did a very poor imitation my voice on his last few words, and his friend laughed underneath his helmet. _The nerve of these humans!_ I thought to myself. My fingers twitched, it would be so simple to fire a missile at them. But no, I wasn't going to waste my time or precious ammunition on these underlings. Instead, I flared my wings, signaling them to back off. I may have been as small as a human now, but my heat-seeking missiles still were functional. It was so tempting, just a twitch of my finger, and they would have to be scraped off the sidewalk. If I didn't have more important matters to attend to–

"Whoa! Your wings _move_! How did you manage that?" The kid in the sorry imitation of a mech costume gasped excitedly, bouncing on his the balls of his feet. Ignoring them, I turned my back and walked away. _The sooner I can locate some energon or find a place to rest, the sooner I'll leave this wretched town._ I thought to myself, glaring at all the puny humans that passed me. _I'll be a sorry excuse for a Seeker if I don't find an energon reserve soon, no matter how meager._ I couldn't remember the last time I had even a half-full tank. I ran a quick diagnostic of my systems, making sure nothing had been damaged during the failed retrieval of that slagging shrink ray. I was relieved that nothing came up, other than that my tank was down to four percent of its total capacity. _Scrap._ I would need to get that energon ASAP, or be forced to enter stasis lock for Primus knew how long. I could even offline. The very thought terrified me to my core, sending icy chills through my protoform. There was _no_ way I would let that happen.

I plodded down the sidewalk, using my short-range scanners in a futile attempt to locate any energon. I came up empty, _again_. The two annoying humans that had spoke with me earlier were trailing a ways behind me, but I still ignored them. If I was full-sized, I would've crushed them underneath my pedes by now. Slag, if I was full-sized, I would've held this entire town hostage until I got energon. But Primus, was I ever tired. Laying down sounded nice, just stopping and taking a quick nap, that would be fine. Just to rest for a little bit…

"Snap out of it!" I barked at myself, shaken. A few humans started, giving me funny looks.

I pushed my scanners, extending them out about ten miles. Straining them tended to drain my energy supply even faster, but if I found any amount of energon, it would be worth it. Even being a Seeker, I never really had the need to use my built-in scanners, I always have had instant access to the Deception databases. Until recently. I managed to locate a small deposit four miles to the north of my current location. I switched them off with a flick of my thoughts and a dismissed few blips of data in the corner of my vision. A wave of fatigue immediately cascaded over me. I stumbled, leaning heavily against a wooden fence for support. A few humans stared, whispering to their friends. My energy levels now read three percent. I needed get to that energon as soon as possible. I shook my helm, clearing it again. I needed to focus, and all these humans distracting me were not helping in the slightest.

"Frag it, Starscream," I muttered to myself, "walk, you imbecile, you won't get anywhere just standing here…"

"Oliver, are you alright?" The pair rushed over, looking worriedly at my faceplates.

I ignored them and snarled, gripping my chest plate with a servo in an attempt to slow the frantic, erratic beating of my spark.

"Dude, you could at least talk to us," the one in the bandana huffed, turning away. I ignored him and started off in the direction the energon deposit was, displaying my energy levels in the corner of my vision. Minutes passed. It dropped down to two percent. Nervously, I quickened my pace, until I was racing down the empty street. Halfway there.

I noticed that those boys were following me again, but this time I didn't care, weaving in and out of parked cars. I was so close! But I soon noticed that my legs weren't moving the way I wanted them to. I stumbled and lost my balance, suddenly finding my cheek plate pressing against the cool, hard road.

 _This is how I offline_ , I thought, exhaling gently. The formerly great Starscream, having starved to death in a human suburb. None of the bots on either side would care, but humans would probably dissect my chassis. Another alert suggesting to initiate stasis lock entered my vision, and I overrode it. My vision blurred slightly.

"Oliver!" one of the boys exclaimed, running over. I heard the other's footsteps on my other side. "What's wrong?!"

"C'mon, we'll help you up," the other said, the one in the bandana. My vision flickered.

The pair wrapped their arms around mine and heaved me to my pedes. I saw that we had drawn stares. I caught a few whispers of humans on the sidewalks, "Should we call 9-1-1?"

"Maybe."

"He doesn't _look_ hurt."

I blinked, _Starscream,_ I tried to lecture myself, _you are_ not _going to die in some human street. That's too pathetic, even for you._

"Yes…" I agreed quietly, shaking the humans off.

"What?"

"Nothing." I said, realizing it looked like I was talking to myself. Well, I was.

I took a few steps forward and my legs held. _I'm going to get that energon._ I started jogging, then broke into a run. Flames sputtered to life inside the thruster on my back and ignited with a roar, boosting my strides exponentially. A human screamed somewhere.

My energy levels dropped another percentage. I was right on top of the energon deposit, in the middle of a park. I looked around, not seeing anything. _It must be below me_ , I thought frantically. Great, more digging. I bent down, frantically clawing at the dirt with my servos. I didn't notice those two boys behind me until one of them spoke up.

"I think he's lost it." A boy whispered. I recognized the fleshling's voice, the one wearing the bandana.

"I'll call his mom, we should probably take him back there." The other said.

"Good idea."

My servos hit something hard. _Energon!_ An icy trickle of terror seeped down my spinal struts as my arms resisted my commands. Error messages began to pop up in the bottom of my vision. My systems were shutting down—I was entering stasis lock. I gritted my denta, fighting it with everything I had. But my vision and audio were going as well now. I _needed_ that energon!

Apparently the universe disagreed. I was about to tear it out of the ground when my memory suddenly went blank.


	3. 2 - A Little Problem

II - A "Little" Problem

My optics cracked open but my vision was blurred to the point where everything was just an indistinct blob of color. A greenish shape loomed over me, shadows beyond that. I felt the sensation of being jostled around but couldn't make sense of it. I was on my back and cool, refreshing air tickled my wings. Something soft was beneath me, supporting me under my knees and shoulders. I felt the edges of my wings bite into the soft material.

The greenish blob glanced down at me with a much lighter white face, a stark contrast to the void above. It looked like the moon, but I knew it wasn't because the rock was floating up in the sky too. Its breathing was labored. "He's heavy," a voice griped, glancing up before its owner looked down again. "Hold on, I think he's awake," the figure glanced up to observe its surroundings before looking down again. "Maybe–"

"Keep moving! We've got to get to Oliver's!" Another voice shouted. This confused me. Moving? Where was "Oliver's"? But then the creature stumbled and there was a harsher bounce than any preceding.

* * *

"Starscream." The sudden voice split my processor with such force, I could nearly see the letters. Somehow I felt detached, not even registering that was my designation, or at least the closest thing to it. A pang of fear lanced through my spark.

"What do you want?" I asked, scanning for the source of the voice.

"The same things you do: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

"Oh, well isn't that just grand." I growled. "A voice in my helm is quoting the humans' Declaration of Independence. Is a straight answer too much to ask of? No, wait, let me guess: you're enjoying this at my expense."

"No wonder you're half-starved and alone," it huffed, "with that whiny attitude, who would want to help you?"

I seethed quietly. "And who are you to make such accusations, hm?"

I didn't get an answer right away, as I expected. A feeling of uneasiness began to creep over me. A sharp _clack!_ made me jump, and I whirled around to face the source of the noise. My jaw went slack while the mech awarded me a smile. A _genuine_ smile. I barely recognized him.

"Star, I'm _you_."

"GET OUT OF MY HELM!" I screeched, feeling a wave of panic surging into my spark.

"Thank me later for the head's up: everything is about to change. You're on the cusp of something far greater than yourself, so try not to frag it up. Until we meet again…"

* * *

I gasped, sitting up so abruptly that all the energon in my helm rushed to my pedes, gasping like I had just sprinted for miles. Weakly collapsing back down, I took deep intakes, trying to slow the frantic thuds of my spark. _It was just a dream._ I told myself repeatedly, but barely believed it. _I should've overridden stasis when I had the chance!_

It was impossible to know for certain, but I felt like I had been out long enough to have a decent amount of energy for a few more hours. But I still craved energon; my tank ached with hunger like an animal with dull claws was burrowing into it. My processor was a bit foggy too and forming coherent thoughts had become an effort: another pleasant symptom of starvation. I was running on empty now. Recharging was a backup way of getting a little extra boost of energy from my depleted reserves, for which I was thankful. But once it ran out, I was finished. For good, unless if I got energon.

I observed my new surroundings, which weren't much. I wasn't out in the Californian desert anymore like I should have been. Or cuffed to a table aboard the _Nemesis_ with a slagging cortical psychic patch sticking out of my helm, as I dreaded. To my surprise, I laid on something so soft a part of me didn't even want to get up. There was a blanket on top of me as well, providing a welcome warmth. A paned window was set into the wall across the room with the curtains drawn almost all the way, but plenty of weak, warm light still spilled through the cracks.

I pushed myself up into a more comfortable position and took in my surroundings, immediately scanning the room for threats. There was a dresser sporting a few small objects atop it, such as a slightly squished box labeled Kleenex and a white ball with red loopy stitching and sloppy black scribbles all over it.

"What could possibly be the purpose of having such large, useless trinkets?" I wondered aloud, not even attempting to hide the obvious disgust in my tone.

But as I looked around the room, there was nothing that could possibly be called "Cybertronian." My tank dropped as the wooden door on the other side of the room opened, perpendicular to the berth.

A human youth stepped through the opening backwards, holding something up to his ear. He—the fleshy thing was clearly male—backed into the room and shut the door with a soft click, talking into the device he held to his ear.

"I'm telling you, Will, that wasn't me." He briefly paused and stared at the door, his back to me. "Yeah, I get that it looked exactly like my costume, but who else would it be?" Another pause. He must have had a private comm link with someone else. "No, I have no idea who it is. I couldn't get his costume off no matter how hard I tried. I stopped at the point where I'd rip his face off if I pulled any harder. Who do you think it is?" Another pause. "No idea either." The silence stretched longer than all the others combined.

Someone pounded on the door to the room, making me jump. I tensed. "Oliver! Ollie, who're ya talkin' to?" A femme this time, and much younger by the sound of it. Ah, so the human standing in the room was that "Oliver" those humans referred to. A huge realization crashed down on me not even a second later. That meant I was in the human's house. In his quarters, even. _But how am I so small?_

"Go away, Melody. I'm busy."

The kid tugged his shoes off, listening to the voice on the other end of the line. He kicked them away and turned around, locking eyes with me. His mouth opened slightly in surprise. "I gotta go," he said into the device and stuffed it into his front pocket. I saw it was what humans called a "smartphone." He wore dark blue jeans and a lighter blue shirt, his equally colored eyes and untidy dark brown hair matching his outfit.

Oliver poked his head out of the room, shouting, "Mom, he's awake!" I started at the loud noise.

"I'll be up there in a sec!" A woman's voice called back.

He shut the door, turning back to me and put on a placating expression. "Hey," he said, smiling. "Are you okay?"

I was scared. I was disoriented. I had no idea what had happened or where I was. So, naturally, what came out was "I think so."

The human came over and sat at the foot of the berth. I scooted backwards, nervous. I definitely didn't trust him.

"You sure? You just collapsed in the park back there," he jerked a thumb at the window behind him, "Will and I carried you up here, 'course I was about to go trick-or-treating when he and Tony ran over here because neither of their parents were home…"

"Shut up." My voice was an octave higher than I would've liked.

He rubbed the back of his head, "Heh, sorry. But who are your parents? You were out for, like, ten hours. They've gotta be worried."

"My what?"

"Never mind. What's with the costume? I couldn't get it off."

My optics widened. "You mean to tell me that you actually tried to pry my faceplates off?!"

"Well, the mask, yeah. So?"

I snarled, flinging the blankets off and made to stand. Oliver instantly reached out to stop me, "Whoa, easy. How can you do Starscream's voice so well?"

"I… what?" Now I was royally confused. "This is my voice." I enunciated each syllable.

"It's awesome!"

"No one else seems to think so," I muttered beneath my vocalizer.

Suddenly a woman entered the room. "Hi, hon," she said to Oliver. But then her gaze shifted to me and she tugged on a chocolate-colored strand of hair. She looked worried, "Are you alright? What's your name? Where are your parents?"

Oliver sighed, "Mom, I already talked with him."

"Well?" She crossed her arms expectantly at me.

"I… ah…" I stammered, wings twitching.

"Can you at least take the costume off?" She asked.

"Costume? This isn't a costume…" I trailed off, looking down. When I looked up, their expressions were so full of concern it made me want to purge.

"Here, let me see," the woman came over to me, her arms reaching up to my faceplates. I ducked inside of her reach and sprinted out the open door.

"Wait!" Oliver yelped, I heard him chasing after me. I burst out of his room and into a hallway. To the right were doors and a dead end. To my left was a staircase leading down. I went left without a second thought.

Just as I reached the top of the stairs, the human grabbed my wing. I tripped forwards and the next thing I knew, I was lying at the bottom of the stairs. I bit my lip, resisting the urge to shriek as my right wing sent waves of agony through my chassis. Seeker wings are so sensitive, but I had never been as careful with mine as I should. _Fantastic. Another injury to add to the list._

I glared up at the ceiling behind the black spots swimming in my vision, lying flat on my back as the two humans rushed down the stairs.

 _Maybe I would just be better off offline._

As if on cue, another alert suggesting stasis lock popped up in my vision. I sighed, and dismissed it.


	4. 3 - Discoveries

III - Discoveries

"Hey, your wing's broken!" Oliver exclaimed. Sure enough, when I turned over I caught a glimpse of the top half of my right wing, presently folded downwards at a sharp angle, the bottom twisted beyond recognition. Pain lanced down it like fire. I gasped and grit my denta, refusing to show weakness in front of the humans.

"What's wrong?" The boy's mother asked.

"It hurts," I panted quietly. "Primus, oh Primus, it hurts."

I cringed at the sight, running a finger over the twisted section. Wincing, I reluctantly withdrew my servo. It would have to be replaced, surely. Even if I did get my sorely missed T-Cog back, without a new wing I would not fly again. The very thought of it was horrifying, but if there was one mech on this Primus-forsaken rock I could at least partially trust, it was Knock Out. The medic did ramble about trivial things such as drive-in movies and his finish all the time, but he _was_ good with his work. Of course, I would never say that in front of him. His ego was already larger than the _Nemesis_.

"I'm going to call Will's mother, she's a doctor," Oliver's mom turned and vanished down another hallway.

I stood, assessing the damage. It wasn't incapacitating me, so I was fine for the moment.

"What do you mean, it hurts?" The kid asked.

"It's my wing, you dolt!" I snapped, and almost struck him.

"No person has wings!" He replied haughtily. "It's just a costume!" As if to prove his point, he grabbed it at the base and pulled with a level of strength I didn't expect a human to have. He adjusted his grip and tried to wrench it off, like he thought I was a human in costume after all.

Seeker wings are very, very sensitive. I heard joints pop and my wing twisted even more as he pulled on it. I grappled at it, trying to pry his fingers off and screamed in pain until my vocalizer was raw. Oliver scrambled back out of instinct, looking mortified and scared.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know!" He shouted, coming back over. The human grabbed my ruined wing and pushed on it, pressing it back into a better position. It hurt a slight bit less that way. I felt joints pop back into place, and my shrieking dissipated into whimpering. I longed for my T-Cog, for my wing to be whole, and for Megatron's helm to look like a crushed tin can.

After a few minutes, once I had calmed down, Oliver met my optics. "I'm sorry," he murmured. I felt dizzy and my wing throbbed where it met my back, but I gripped the edge of it and tried not to let my pain show. "What's your name?" The human finally asked.

I took a deep breath and shrugged off his hands, "What's it to you?"

He gave me a sideways look. "Are you doing drugs?"

"What!? Of course not!" I snapped.

"What's your name?" He pried, annoyed now.

"Starscream." It hung in the air the same way bricks do.

"Yeah, right." But he didn't seem too confident. "Besides, wouldn't you be taller?"

"I wish," I grumbled, and was about to continue but was cut off by an alarm going off inside my helm. My energon levels were critical. If I fell unconscious again I likely wouldn't wake up. The very thought was extremely disturbing and my good wing flattened. I stayed silent, forgetting the human's presence while running a minor systems check. Another alarm beeped. Yes, I'm fairly sure my wing is bent beyond repair, thank you, you worthless notifications. I'm disabling you, you, and you get muted, so do you…

"Hello? Anyone in there?" Oliver asked, jolting me back to the present.

"Well, uh, you see, I need to go back to that energon deposit, the place I was at right before–"

"Energon deposit? Are you crazy?" He asked. "That stuff isn't even real!"

The human was really starting to annoy me.

"How do you even know what it is?" I accused.

Now he looked uncomfortable, shifting in his seat. "If you're really Starscream, _the_ Starscream, why do you need it?"

"Because I'm starving, you dolt!" _Isn't it obvious?_

"I can't believe this," he muttered almost unintelligibly. His gaze slid over me. "Fine. But that's like… eight miles away. I hope you like walking. Or we could get my mom to drive us."

 _Eight miles._ "No. If I retained my jet mode, I would be much more willing–"

"What?"

I winced, "I said that aloud, didn't I?"

He shrugged it off, "I already think you're crazy. Here… I have an idea." The human pulled his smartphone out of a pocket, "My friend, Will, lives over there. He has an older brother that could give us a ride." He offered, and I wasn't objecting. Yet. He held it up, "I'll put it on speaker so you can hear him."

I didn't even have a chance to ask what "speaker" was before a voice, probably Will's, rang out from the phone.

"Hey, Oliver. Why'd you hang up on me?" The voice was irritated.

"I can explain."

"Love to hear it."

" _Later_ ," Oliver emphasized. "We need you to take us back to where you picked up that guy dressed as Scream last night."

Will took a second to respond. "Can't your mom take you?"

"She's busy."

"Wait… who's 'we'?"

Oliver bit his lip, "Will, meet Starscream." I didn't see that coming.

My optics widened and I found myself staring at the little pathetic black box the human held. Its camera glinted at me like a black optic.

"No. Way." Came the voice from the phone. "What's with–"

I glared at the phone camera, then at Oliver behind it. "Are you just going to stand there?"

He seemed to snap out of a trance, "Right. Will," he turned the camera back to face him, "are you coming?"

"Of course!" Will shouted. "If this is a hoax, I swear I'm going to–"

Oliver hung up, looking like he was seeing me for the first time. "You're really a robot?"

I frowned, "You're really a human?" He cleared his throat loudly. "That's a rather bland way of putting it," I continued, "if you mean an entirely mechanical, superior life form whose actions are dictated by lines of code rather than chemical imbalances, then yes."

It was his turn to frown. "Superior? Yeah, right. I bet you know plenty about imbalance."

My optics narrowed a fraction. "Excuse me for my assumption, but I don't see you fleshlings flying around the universe." I crossed my arms. "Rooted to your little rock of a world…"

"Give us some credit, we've been to the moon. At least our race hasn't nearly wiped itself out with war." He smugly mirrored me. "And good luck flying with that wing." The human waved at it to punctuate his point.

I ground my denta and was about to give an explosive retort when his mother walked into the room. Her hand that wasn't holding the phone was cupped around its base, supposedly stifling the noise on our end. She looked to me with concern, "Are you feeling better?"

I scowled at her and crossed my arms. "I was before you came in."

"Why you gotta be so ru-u-ude," Oliver sang quietly, a smirk still stuck to his face.

Her lips pursed, "I hope you know the extent of what we've done for you."

Oliver jumped in, "Yeah, don't be so ungrateful, Scream."

I threw my servos up into the air in frustration, "Why is the nickname necessary?"

The boy didn't get a chance to answer before his mother cut back in, "Get in the car. We're going to the doctor, she's going to have a look at you. And take that costume off!"

I exchanged an exasperated look with Oliver. "You have to be kidding me," I muttered. I wasn't about to be put off by a mere human. So I straightened up to my full height, perking my functioning wing for good measure ang glowered at her. "Listen here. You are going to open the door and let me leave, or I will."

She grabbed my arm, not even intimidated. "That's it. You're coming, whether you like it or not. You were unconscious for almost ten hours, I am taking you to the hospital. There is nothing you can do about it."

My fingers twitched. I was debating over using my talons on her to prove my point when Oliver broke in. "Hey," he sounded tense as if knowing this was about to escalate, "Mom, just… lay off, okay?"

"Don't start with me!" She snapped.

I tensed, but she looked at me with a gaze so full of sympathy it was almost painful to keep glaring. Almost. Her tone was far gentler this time, "Believe me when I say you'll feel better if you do this, and the doctor's really nice. I promise it'll be fine." She was sincere, I could see it in her eyes.

"Make me." I spat, my good wing flaring up. "I cannot believe I'm wasting my time arguing over something so trivial!"

A mischievous look came over Oliver's face, "I just got off the phone with Will, and he and his brother said they'll be here in a few. Can I take him?" _What the scrap! Is this human youth actually trying to bail me out?_ He began to whisper behind his hand at his mother, but my sharp audials picked up his voice. "Besides, he must've hit his head really hard, heck, he said he's Starscream! And not to mention that he went totally off the rails when I touched his wing."

She shot a glance at me and I feigned to stumble. But then the hardwood floor lurched beneath me and I ended up on my servos and knee plates. "Ugh," I snarled. Oliver and his mother were at my side in an instant, putting their shoulders under my arms and heaved me to my pedes. Then the doorbell rang shrilly.


	5. 4 - Energon

IV - Energon

Oliver ducked out from under my arm and went to the door. His mother took the brunt of my weight with a grunt. I slid off her arm, allowing my good wing to flutter slightly so I could better keep my balance. She gave me a worried look but nothing more, thankfully. Her son opened the door and another boy stepped through, looking to be in his early teens like Oliver.

"Hey Will," Oliver said amiably, "long time no see."

"Yeah, it's been forever since last night." Will's tone dripped with sarcasm. His hazel eyes, jet-black hair, and pale skin apparently came with an attitude. But then his eyes widened as they fell on me and he closed the door behind him, not bothering to remove his shoes. "Dude, you're awake! How're you feeling?"

"Better," I replied stiffly.

Will rubbed his hands together, "Glad to hear it. Oliver, shall we?" He waved at the door.

Oliver gave him a mock bow, "We shall."

I snarled quietly, "If this is a trick, human, I swear I will–"

Oliver raised his hands, "Easy! Do you really think I'd want to fight a robot—uh, Cybertronian?"

"Well, no." I admitted. "But if–"

"Just don't kill us once you feel better." Oliver added.

I was about to interject, "Hey, give it a rest, you two." said Will, crossing his arms.

"Well that's reassuring," Oliver frowned.

I stumbled again. "What's wrong?" Will asked, his brow furrowing.

"I haven't had any energon in a long time," I growled, "which is why the two of you are allowed to tag along for the moment."

He looked uncomfortable, fiddling with a tie he pulled from his pocket. "Just… get in the pickup." He pointed to a red flatbed truck behind him. I tensed. There was no way in this universe they would make me ride in that. Squeezed between two smelly humans in the back seat with my helm spike brushing the ceiling… the claustrophobia alone would be terrible.

Oliver seemed to read my thoughts, as he stepped up to my side and gave my leg a gentle nudge with the tip of his shoe. "You can ride in the bed if you want–" but I was already running.

* * *

I gripped the sides of the pickup's bed tighter and tighter with each bump in the road, and there were many. What little energon that remained in my tank sloshed around, making me slightly nauseous. Other than that, it wasn't so bad. But Will's brother, our driver, had a tendency to swerve instead of turn and slam on the brakes rather than come to a smooth stop.

The humans had made the mistake of leaving the windows of the truck open, so I could hear their every word.

"There's no way he's really Starscream," Will argued, "heck, an alien robot from another planet? That speaks _our_ language and can turn into one of _our_ vehicles? I'm not buying it."

"But they've been here for years." Oliver interjected indignantly.

"Wait." I got a feeling that Will was ticking them off on his fingers, "There's a TV show on the Transformers, but the government doesn't say they're real? Then what about the voice actors, animators, directors, producers, and all those other people that throw it together?"

"Well…"

"Oliver," Will's tone became serious, "even if he were real, what are the chances he'd be exactly the same as in the show?"

"You do the math," the other human said, irritated.

But Will was on a roll. "Dude, even if he was, would he really want to be our friend? He hates humans. He'd sooner stab us in the back, and probably enjoy doing it too. Not to mention that he's really messed up from getting smacked around all the time. Like PTSD, I bet, so _face it_. Starscream doesn't exist. Never has, never will. Even if he did, would you really want to meet him? He's a wreck." They both looked out the back window at me.

I stared back in silence, trembling. I refused to admit they were right. Sure, Megatron had made a hobby out of pounding me into scrap metal, so much so that I doubted any of my parts were still the originals. _But the mental effects?_

"We're here!" A new, older voice called out, presumably Will's brother.

I vaulted out of the bed of the pickup and landed on the soft dirt, kicking up a small spray of the stuff. Without looking back, I strode purposefully to the place I had collapsed last night. Sure enough, a small, shining blue chunk of energon was exposed. I crouched and dug around it with my talons and broke off a shard of the crystal. I stared at it in my grasp, a would-be meager amount to sate my hunger.

I heard the humans bickering about something in the background, making animated gestures.

"Oliver, don't test me unless you want tire treads to be the new pattern on your shirt," said Will's brother, his face colored with anger as he leaned out the truck's window.

Oliver exaggerated pulling out his blue shirt to see it. "This thing? A tread pattern would look good on it, thanks for offering. But I'll have to decline, I might just buy one at the mall."

"Enjoy walking home." Will's brother snarled, and rolled up the window. The car kicked up a big plume of dust that left both the boys coughing and waving at their faces.

I jogged over to the pair, holding up the crystal in plain view. "Behold: energon!"

Oliver squinted and looked at everything but the shard in my servo. "I don't know, I'm not seeing any special crystals."

Will rolled his eyes, "Oh boy! I can hardly stand the excitement." Then they fell onto my busted wing. Concern flashed across his face for a heartbeat, "What's up with that?"

"If it was up, it would be fine." I hissed.

Oliver jumped in, "I made him lose his balance at the top of my staircase," he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "and he landed on his wing at the bottom."

I gestured for them to follow me and made my way back over to the energon, carefully stepping around jagged rocks. Their soft footfalls echoed behind mine. _It's extremely rare for a deposit to be this close to the surface_ , I thought while examining my warped reflection in the electric-blue crystals. I looked like slag. My right wing was bent the wrong way and I had acquired numerous scratches all across my plating. And I was _filthy_. My armor's silvery luster was buried underneath a layer of dirt and grime from ending up on the ground a lot lately, whether I had intended to or not. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have a proper wash.

"Wait, what's that?" Oliver pointed past me at a dark object a short distance away. Before I could respond, he was jogging over to check it out. I looked back at the energon, disinterested. I eyed my sharp fingertips and sighed, they were not made for digging.

"I think it's a TV!" He exclaimed. Will ran over to join him.

"It's too thick." Oliver stated. "And too round."

"Not for an old one." Will pointed out.

"Wait… are those levers on the sides?"

I tried to tune them out and stabbed my talons around the edges of the crystals repeatedly until I had removed a sizable chunk for one of my current stature. I held the blue shard up to the sunlight, but then I saw what Oliver was holding out against his chest. I lowered the crystal, watching Oliver struggle with the object.

"Humans!" I screeched, "Put that down!" They both looked at me quizzically.

"Huh? Why?" Oliver asked.

"What crawled up his turbine and died?" Will muttered.

"That's my ground bridge remote! Put it down!" I barked. But then an idea began to dawn on me. "Both of you start grabbing as much energon as you can hold," I ordered, excitement bubbling in my veins.

They shrugged and stepped around the mound of dirt I managed to clear out from around the lengthy crystals, and I sliced their bottoms off with a clean sweep of my talons.

I watched the ground bridge remote nervously as if someone would rush in and steal it at any moment. Will reached for a crystal first, but, as soon as his skin made contact with it, he yelped and his hand jumped away. I saw a small burn had formed where his skin had touched the crystal. He spat a string of human curses with more colors than a rainbow, shaking his injured hand. Then he turned on me.

"You knew that would happen, didn't you?" the human accused belligerently, hands balling into fists.

I feigned innocence, a lie already sliding across my denta. "How would _I_ have known? I don't experiment on humans, nor do I wish to." I replied smoothly, remembering Agent Fowler. A smirk tugged at my mouth plates. _As I imagined, energon and human nervous systems don't mix._

"Will, can I have your jacket?" Oliver asked.

"This is my favorite one!" He grumbled, pulling it off, and promptly stuck his fingers in his mouth. Oliver grabbed it, tying it around the exposed energon. He hefted it up, grunting.

"This stuff weighs a ton."

"Maybe because it's a sack full of rocks." I replied, annoyed.

"Now what?" They both asked in unison.

"We go to the _Harbinger_."

"Oh, sure," Will rolled his eyes.

"I don't even want to know how far of a drive away that is," Oliver groaned.

I pointed to the ground bridge remote, "Who said anything about driving?"


	6. 5 - Energon II

V - Energon II

"I can't believe this is happening." Will murmured.

"Then that makes two of us." Oliver replied, but I ignored them. They could be questioned later.

I went to the remote and stooped over it. It was a massive thing to carry for one of my current stature. Nonetheless, I hefted it.

"This is madness," Will groused.

"How do we turn it on?" Oliver asked.

"Like this," I ran a servo over the screen and it lit up, then input a new set of coordinates. Fortunately for me, I had unwittingly memorized the _Harbinger's_ precise location.

A green vortex spiraled up in front of it a mere twenty feet away, but I hadn't yet activated a bridge. A red mech came strutting out, followed by a pair of Vehicon drones. The humans darted behind a nearby boulder, their knuckles clenched white. Their eyes were as wide as dinner plates, mouths hanging open in disbelief.

"I told you, but did you listen? No!" I snapped in a stage-whisper at them and pressed myself against the rock beside them, wings flush with its coarse surface. I winced, my broken wing pressing against it.

"… yes, our scanners recently picked up a minute signature of exposed energon in this vicinity." Knock Out said, his voice drawing closer. "As well as the _commander's_ last known location."

"Is there any possibility he's still online?" The monotonous voice of a Vehicon broke in.

"I, for one, find that extremely unlikely." Knock Out replied pompously. "His signal dampener must have glitched for a moment, as we saw his wink out. A pity, really." He said, a new, somber edge creeping into his tone. _My utmost thanks for the continued support,_ good _doctor_ , I scowled. "The Big 'M' said him to be KIA, seeing his signal offline and being the outstanding medic I am, I have no reason to object to his claim." His tone softened a fraction, surely the drones were incapable of noticing it. "Megatron knows where he shot him. If he wasn't offline then, he is now. Though during every time I've had to babysit him, he's been surprisingly resilient to injuries…" the red mech trailed off.

"Sir, K-I-A?"

"Do you have no working processor?" Knock Out turned to face the drone that had spoken. " _Killed In Action_! We are in the middle of a war, or have you forgotten?"

The drone was defensive, "No, sir."

"Then go dig up that energon! I can't get my finish dirty, do you know how long it takes to get this to a perfect sheen?!" Knock Out snapped, melodramatically waving at his chassis.

"Yes, sir." The two said in unison, tromping over towards the crystals. Slag. All that effort I made, for nothing. However, I still had a blue shard clutched in my servo, and a few crystals in the human's jacket. I did have a meager energon store at the _Harbinger, processed_ energon to boot. I'd loathe to have to chew on rocks for the remainder of my exile.

So I dusted it off and popped the shard into my mouth. I managed to snap it in half with a satisfying crunch and get a few more bites in before I realized the humans were staring.

"What?" I hissed, my faceplates suddenly feeling warm.

The pair chuckled silently, shaking their heads but said nothing.

My thoughts drifted elsewhere. Knock Out was a competent medic, and I had a broken wing. But my size posed a larger problem, being that his tools were useless on someone of my stature. But that wasn't the only issue, he would be too busy guffawing at my predicament. _Revealing myself would only create bigger issues_ , I decided. I'd surely exceeded my daily quota of new problems that simultaneously cropped up, the last thing I needed was more of them.

"My, my, what's this?" Knock Out said, bending down to examine the dirt. "Human shoe prints circling this clump of energon?"

"It's probably nothing." The second Vehicon said with a hint of doubt.

"Hmm, it _could_ be an Autobot trap..." The medic trailed off. "... but if it was, surely they would have attacked me by now." He finished. A vehicon offered him a large chunk of the energon. "Might as well bring this back to the ship. As for the humans…" He swept his gaze carelessly across the rocky landscape. "... they don't matter enough to pose a problem." I saw Will's hands clench next to me.

"Yes, sir." They repeated, then continued to harvest the crystals.

* * *

 _A short time later…_

"This is Knock Out, requesting a ground bridge." One spiraled into existence a second later.

"That is beyond cool." Oliver hissed. I shot him a glare, the idiot human was going to blow our cover! The red mech stopped a few feet from the green vortex, listening. After a tense moment, he shrugged and disappeared into the bridge. The Vehicon followed a short moment later, burdened with an armful of energon. A meager deposit indeed.

We jumped out from behind the boulders as soon as the bridge closed and I hastily dragged the remote out from behind the clump of boulders.

"Hurry!" I urged them. "Who knows, the Autobots could be here at any moment! Go see if there's any energon left."

Will mumbled something about paranoia and leaned over the hole where the energon was.

He shook his head, "Do you guys–Cybertronians, I mean–have different flavors of energon?"

Oliver gave him a sideways glance, "Really. You meet an honest-to-goodness alien and the first thing you say is 'do you have different flavors of food?' What the heck! This is a historical moment!"

"No," I corrected, "if memory serves, that one Special Agent Fowler was the first to interact with us."

Will cursed. "So close!"

Oliver crossed his arms smugly, "Hey, at least we're the first to meet _you_."

"Agent Fowler again." I shook my helm slightly and adopted a more sinister tone, "But let's just say he didn't particularly enjoy the encounter."

A nervous edge crept into Will's voice, "Even if we go to the _Harbinger_ , assuming it even exists, how do we know that you won't just blow us up and be done with it?"

"If I was going to kill you, I would have done it already."

"Oh?"

"Don't tempt me, human." I whispered, raising my missiles slightly.

Oliver looked back and forth between us, "Is stalling really necessary?"

I entered a command on the ground bridge remote and slammed a fist down onto its screen. The familiar green glow of a bridge opened a few feet in front of us. The pair immediately ran towards it, almost going through before I stopped them.

"STOP!" I shrieked. "Don't forget the energon!"

Will skidded to a stop, "Why don't you get it yourself?"

"Because I'm holding this," I snarled, shaking the newly-massive remote.

"Right." Oliver replied, and skidded over to Will's jacket. Most had fallen out in our mad dash for cover, but a few sizable crystals remained wrapped in it. He picked it up, being sure to not touch any of the energon.

Together, we ran through the portal.

* * *

Will stumbled out onto the main deck of the _Harbinger_ , squinting. "How can you possibly get used to that?" he groaned.

"You would too if you were forced to do it multiple times every day."

The human shrugged his shoulders, "Fair is fair."

Oliver followed through, lugging the sweatshirt full of energon crystals. It was hardly a mouthful if I was at my full size. The bridge closed behind him, sealing us all in darkness.

"Is there a light switch somewhere?" The boy asked.

"What do you think? The main computer is in the center of the room." I heard them both shuffling around, cautious not to bump into anything. "Aha!" I exclaimed, touching it. A second later light flooded the room, and I reflexively dimmed my optics.

"You okay there, Screamer?" Will asked, to me. I brightened my optics, getting adjusted to the light.

"Yes, and don't call me that!" I said, and they both chuckled.

"Oliver, a little help?" Will asked. "Boost me up?"

I scrambled up the side of the console as Oliver made a foothold by weaving his fingers together. He placed his hands in the air next to Will's thigh. Will stepped on it, and Oliver pushed him up, then clambered up beside me.

"Now what?" Oliver asked from below.

"How do we turn this on?" He asked, facing me once again.

"Humans." I growled under my vocalizer.

"What?" He said, but I ignored him, pacing back and forth over the console, re-orienting myself. I threw a switch on the left, and three, massive screens in front of me blazed to life. I darted over to then, fiddling with the commands.

"Activate the manual receiver…" I muttered, servos flying over the console "... scale it down..." I pressed a final button, and the screens shrank to perfectly fit one of my current size.

"How did you do that?" Will asked.

"The manual receiver pings to the primary computer via a radio frequency that would make your ears bleed if you could hear it–"

"Sorry I asked," he interjected.

I allowed a superior smirk to slide across my faceplates as I turned back to my newly shrunken screens. A darker thought crossed my processor as I ran a quick systems check the the _Harbinger_ : my wing. I clearly was unable to replace it now, and it's only brought me pain. As for my good wing… I wouldn't be able to balance properly with only one. And if Knock Out were here, I'm sure he would tell me I looked ridiculous with a single wing, not counting the two smaller ones in between them.

My servos halted on the screen as I realized what my only option was, besides enduring more pain whenever my busted wing brushed against something. I turned to face Will.

"Do you think you could, ah…" I clacked my fingers together nervously.

"Yeah?" the human faced me expectantly, planting his hands on his hips.

"… clip my wings." My voice shook a little on the last syllable.

"What! Have you gone off the deep end?!" Will exclaimed.

"I was thinking the same." I deadpanned.

"What's going on up there?" Oliver called out from the floor.

"Screamy wants me to cut his wings off."

"What! Why?"

"I was about to ask him."

"My broken one isn't exactly helping me now, and balancing would be impossible with just one." I added.

"Still sounds like a terrible idea," Will replied.

"I don't care what you think, I want to know if you will do it." I snapped, my confidence already failing.

He hesitated for a moment. "Fine. But what about you?"

I exaggerated touching a servo to my chest plate, "I didn't know you cared."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm serious."

"It may cause some, ah, _discomfort_ on my part… but I'll live as long as you don't sever a fuel line." I answered grimly, biting my lip. "Get on with it."

"That's comforting." He replied with a level of sarcasm to rival my own. "Where do I have to cut, and when do I have to do it?"

"The sooner, the better." I grumbled, my tone opposing my words. "I'll just grab my scalpel… _what are you going to use_?!"

He pulled a large pocket knife out of his pants, flipping the blade open. "Got a problem with this?"

I eyed its sharp edge. "N-no. As long as it can cut through metal."

He held it in front of his face, inspecting its keen edge shrewdly. "I'll make it work."

I gulped, "Cut to my back plating, as far as you can safely go." I despised the idea of trusting these humans so much, but what options did I have, really? I couldn't remove my wing on my own, and I had an inkling that if I tried, I would frag something up royally.

"Let's do it now, there's no better time." He said. I turned around, stiff as a board, my neck cables craned so I could see as I laid on the console. My wings jutted out into the air. _Why am I doing this?_ Without warning, his outstretched hand turned into Megatron's, his voice as well. "This is less than you deserve, Starscream." His servo reached out, ready to tear off my wings. I yelped and frantically skittered backwards. I looked up at Megatron's faceplates, sure this was the end, when his optics turned brown. I blinked. Will's worried face greeted me this time, but I turned away, shamefaced. I was hyperventilating and trembling. The hallucination felt too real. I couldn't fathom how it was triggered just in this instance when I've been through so much slag these past couple of days, but it terrified me all the same. What if that had happened in battle?

"Which one of you screamed like a little girl?" Oliver called out from below.

"The one with that word in his name." Will replied. I shot him a glare. "What's wrong with you?" He said, facing me.

"I-uh-nothing." I shoved my servos under me to hide their shaking.

"Don't give me that crap. You looked at me like I was going to kill you and screamed worse than when Oliver steps on a LEGO."

"If you ask me again, I can tell you with absolute certainty that when I am restored to my full size, I will vastly enjoy gutting you."

"That won't happen if we don't help you, so you aren't really in a position to be commanding us." That was a low blow.

I turned around. "Just get this slag over with." It was a extremely unfortunate that I couldn't induce stasis, I would be conscious for the entire "procedure."

"This should be fun," I muttered.

"Stay still." Will chastised.

Something thin and cool brushed the edge of my broken wing. I quivered, stopping my intakes. Pain flared up at the base of my broken wing, but I steeled myself. I could feel a rivulet of energon running down my side from the incision. The knife wobbled as he adjusted his grip, but otherwise he had made a clean cut while slowly slicing downward.

"It wouldn't kill you to hurry up." I hissed through gritted denta with a voice an octave higher than was healthy.

"It might kill you if I do, so shut up so I can focus."

He adjusted his grip again and I felt my talons dig into the console's face as my vision flickered. My wings were so, _so_ sensitive that the sliver of my processor capable of forming thought behind the agony wondered what the loud, shrill loud noise assaulting my audials was until it turned staticky, then faded altogether.


	7. 6 - The Harbinger

VI - The Harbinger

"Starscream!" Will's voice sounded like it was coming from the other end of long tunnel. The right side of my helm felt wet. I gingerly touched a servo to it. It came away coated in a bright blue smear of energon. Will's blurry face suddenly filled my line of vision. I lazily tilted my helm to better look at him, frowning in confusion.

"Starscream!" He repeated, gently shaking my shoulder plate. I blinked, everything gaining a new clarity. I pushed his hand away and gingerly rose into a sitting position.

"That was a little scary," he admitted. "Are you feeling alright?"

"More or less…" I trailed off, flexing a servo and relishing the sensation, but my back still throbbed. I looked over my large shoulder plate. My wings were gone, and a dull ache had taken their place. The fact that they were on the console a pace away from me was a hint to their absence. I shivered: calling the sight of my missing wings "unsettling" was an incredible understatement.

"It seems you severed a fuel line." I said anxiously, still fixated on the spots where my wings used to reside. I wiped the energon off my faceplates and felt lubricant there as well, surprisingly enough.

"Fantastic." He said sarcastically and slid a leg off the edge of the console. "Let's get you fixed up, then some energon."

"I could not agree more," I sighed. I stood, wiping some of the stuff off my legs as best I could without injuring myself further. "Of course, you are able to make a patch?" I added.

"It isn't like there's a YouTube video on how to put band-aid on an alien. Do you even know what a band-aid is?" He retorted. "I suppose I'll just slap one on and everything will be a-okay."

"Yes, everything will be _just fine_ if I die from energon loss!" I snarled.

"Fair point. You know… we could cauterize it."

"With what?" I shot back. "I'd rather not short-circuit." the human snickered at that. An idea suddenly struck me, one so blatantly obvious I had no clue how I could have missed it. "Oliver?" I asked, climbing down the side of the console.

"I'm still here. You scream like a little girl, by the way."

"I do not!" I replied shrilly. The pair snickered and my mood gained a few degrees of anger. "The patch kit is in the lab, underneath a workstation next to the left wall." I filled him in on the directions through the maze of hallways. The sound of his footsteps faded away into a hall right of this room.

"Now we play the waiting game." Will said.

"If you really think this is a game, you can leave." I spat, tapping a pede against the floor.

He remained silent for a few moments, looking ready to burst with questions. "Your optic."

I fingered the scar beneath it thoughtfully. "A token… a parting gift from Arcee. Primus, I hate that two-wheeler." I growled bitterly.

"What's the crest on your helm for… or is it just supposed to look cool?"

I fingered the tip of it, surprised at his question. "This thing? It's an antenna."

He gave me a look, "Seriously?"

I rolled my optics. "Of course not!"

"How did you get your name?" he prodded. "I mean, if you chose it, or…"

"Good luck trying to pronounce my given name." I huffed, rolling my optics. "'Starscream' is the closest translation I could come up with."

"Course it is, and it fits." he shot me a smirk.

"Don't make me hurt you. I'll enjoy it too much." I inspected the tips of my black talons, making sure they caught the rather dim lighting.

"And be all alone again?"

I didn't have a good answer to that. Silence settled upon the room like a thick blanket: a little stifling at first, but softened after awhile. I felt a ghost of my wings, like something critical was missing and I couldn't last without it. It was disturbing how much truth that single thought held. The uncomfortable feeling haunted me until Oliver came back, I kept turning around, expecting to see something there. By then, my famed resilience was flagging. I found myself nodding off a few times, then jolting back to alertness, even more on edge as I started to fall. Will watched like he was responsible for catching me.

I jumped at the sound of returning footsteps. "I found it!" Oliver exclaimed, his voice bouncing off the walls. I stood up, stumbling a little before regaining my balance and Will looked at me nervously, but I waved him off. I know I would have to get used to walking and balancing without wings, but could already tell it wouldn't be much different. They mostly created drag.

A few minutes later, I had a decent self-applied patch stemming the leakage. _If you want something done right, do it yourself._ Speaking of energon… I walked back over to the screens, remotely opening the door to my meager supply in its vault. A low groan of moving metal emanated from down the hallway Oliver had come from.

The humans both started, heads jerking sharply in the direction of the noise. "It's an intruder!" Will gasped.

"High-strung, are we?" I sneered.

"You're one to talk." he shot back.

"If it isn't an intruder, what is it?" Oliver asked from below.

"Must I spell everything out for you?"

"I d-o-n-'t k-n-o-w, d-o y-o-u?"

"Get scrapped." I muttered.

* * *

The taste of energon filled my mouth again. However, this time it was not the product of another injury, but of a sweet energon cube. I had a very meager store of just eight in total, plus the one I was currently energizing from. "Medical purposes" indeed.

"What does it taste like?" Will wondered aloud.

"What does your food taste like?" I countered.

"There's so many different things… don't you ever get sick of having the same stuff?"

"We don't exactly have a choice, now do we?" I replied, taking another deep drink. "Besides, there are different grades of energon."

"That's a shame. I can't believe you've never had a good, juicy cheeseburger!" Oliver piped up.

I looked up from the cube. "I find the idea that you consume flesh revolting. Slimy, wet, squishy sliding down _my_ throat? No thank you." I went back to nursing it, sucking the thing dry.

"Dude, slow down! You're starving, remember? I don't know about bots, but when humans eat too much too fast, especially after not having any food for a long time, it doesn't stay down."

"Do not patronize me." I scowled.

"Hey, I'm just saying." he persisted. I heeded his advice, the idea of arguing losing its luster.

Taking one final sip, I pushed the cube away, wiping at my mouth. I already felt more alert, more _here_. _Now all I need is a proper wash._ I thought, absentmindedly flicking a small clump of dirt off my chest plate. I still wanted another energon cube, or maybe two or three, but forced myself to be content. The human was right, too much too fast would leave me feeling worse off.

"Now, I– _we_ plan to get my size restored, and later my–" an idea suddenly hit me with a staggering force, "–T-Cog." I finished, my thoughts already elsewhere. The two humans exchanged a glance. _The five protoforms._ Actually, six, including a prototype I discovered earlier, tucked away in a corner of the laboratory. I had planned to save them for later, and I intend to keep that plan mostly intact. I had a feeling that I would eventually need them. Right now, I only needed one, and settled on using the prototype. Having another set of servos I could rely upon would be a huge step forward.

"What?" Oliver finally asked while I mulled my plan over.

I hadn't realized a smile had touched my faceplates until I spoke. "I have a plan… if it succeeds, I will regain my usual stature."

"What! How?" They both exclaimed in unison. I quickly relayed it to them. "We'll go get it then." I quietly watched as they raced off into a hallway. _Siding with humans is far from ideal_ , I mused to myself, _but necessary. I appreciate their enthusiasm to aid me, but I don't have the vaguest idea of why they are._ I frowned and stowed that thought away for later scrutiny. _As long as they aren't doing me any harm, I couldn't care less…_

* * *

A ping on my comm jolted me to alertness. I must have dozed off, thoroughly exhausted physically and emotionally from the ordeals of these last trying forty-eight hours. I stretched, rubbing some stiffness out of my joints and felt a bit rejuvenated. It pinged again.

"This is Starscream," I said automatically.

"We know. Listen, we got the protoform in place in the lab, it only took, like, eight years." Oliver replied impatiently. "You slept most of the afternoon."

"I'll be right over. How did you comm me?"

"I used my mad skills and hacked your computer."

Will's voice joined in, "Good one! More like tripped on a button!"

"Did not!" He replied defensively. I closed the frequency and ran off in the direction of the lab, aching for the time I would fly again.

"You sure took your time." Oliver griped, seeing me jog in.

"I would've been here sooner had you not left without me." I snapped.

"Pff, I didn't want to risk my life by waking you in person."

"Hey, it's been a long day, let's just finish this up and then we can go home." Will looked at me. "Right?" he added.

In reality, I seriously doubted that my sanity would be intact after spending the night with a pair of noisy, smelly, human adolescents. Yes, I would send them back to their quarters, if only they agreed to come back.

"Fine," I sighed.

Then I noticed the protoform towering up against the wall, different cables hooked the majority of its surface. It was a miracle they hadn't damaged it, let alone were capable of moving it. I saw they had erected a small pulley system… clever, at least for humans.

"Let's give cloning a whirl, shall we?" I said with a manic grin. They exchanged a look that seemed to say _Oh boy_.

The formula was fairly simple, so I split it into sixths, as I only needed one of them. Unfortunately, it required more energon than which flowed in me currently. Slag. I did some quick calculations. With a dash of luck and assuming everything went well (like it ever did), I could mix the energon that currently flowed through my fuel lines in a batch of untainted energon. That would require sacrificing almost all of my cubes to the clone gods. I could trick the clone's system with a shot of my energon first, then add the rest once it let down its internal defenses. I believed humans called theirs an immune system, a fitting name.

I relayed my idea to the pair. "You call _that_ easy?" Will grumbled.

"It's simple if one has access to the right equipment, and the processor to do so. Now, I need to draw some energon out of my system." I stated.

"Do you have a death wish?" Oliver answered incredulously. "You almost just bled to death–"

"We do not have _blood_." I corrected haughtily, waving a servo.

"–anyway," he continued, annoyed, "it's a terrible idea."

"It unfortunate, yes, but necessary–"

"Why don't you just do it tomorrow?" Oliver cut in. "You can recover tonight, and in the morning we can do sciencey stuff."

"True…" I hesitantly agreed.

"Besides, our folks will want us to be home soon, it's already late. Could you bridge us there?"

I grudgingly agreed. "I will send a bridge tomorrow morning at…" I checked my internal clock, "two a.m. sharp, your time."

"What! We need sleep, you know! How about nine, that morning?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." Oliver agreed.

"I don't appear to have a say in the matter." I scowled.

Oliver cleaned out an ear. "Sorry, I don't think I heard you right. Did you say you actually _want_ us around?" He said, earning a chuckle from Will, who gently shook his head.

"I said nothing of the sort!" I protested lamely, hating the part of myself that _did_ actually want them around. I tried to convince myself that I wasn't taking a liking to them, that I only needed all hands on deck. It was failing. Frustrated and infuriated at myself for that, and how my processor didn't lie nearly as well as my glossa did, I snarled and shoved the thought out of my helm.

We arrived at the bridge a few minutes later, the glow from the red screens now the lone source of light. I threw a switch on the ground bridge and entered the correct coordinates. I checked the coordinates, making sure they were precise. Didn't want them ending up in someone else's home, that would lead to unanswerable questions.

"The other end leads into your quarters," I nodded to Oliver.

"What about me?" Will asked.

" _We_ get to have a sleepover!" Oliver suggested, grinning.

Will shrugged nonchalantly, walking through first. He vanished in a burst of white light.

"You know…" Oliver began hesitantly, looking to where I stood, "You can come back with us. The floors of this ship are pretty hard for sleeping—or whatever you do." He stamped his foot, emphasizing the blatant hardness of the floor.

"I didn't ask for your pity." I replied dismissively, feeling my spark twinge ever so slightly.

His voice fell to barely above a whisper. "Who said anything about pity? I'm just trying to help." And with that, he flashed me a smile as if he hadn't said anything and walked through the bridge, leaving me to wonder what exactly he was implying until the most ungodly hours of the morning. But I finally convinced myself that they were right, that I needed all the strength I could get for the coming day; I had lost a lot of energon and though my reserves were mostly replenished now and I felt quite a bit better, I was still weary. Eventually, I simply slipped into oblivion from sheer fatigue on the softest bit of floor I could find.

Pity indeed.

* * *

"–do you hear me, Private Starscream? Or do I need to pull those audials out of your pretty little helm some to get you to listen to me?"

I started, feeling my wings twitch. I pushed aside my untouched cube of energon, nervous. "Sorry, Master Sergeant, please go on–"

"I did not ask for your permission, Private!" He barked. "You must be _so smart_ , thinking you're all that, far above the other recruits just because you're a _Seeker_."

I winced, realizing too late how bad that sounded. "Sorry, sir. I didn't intend to sound superior in any way–"

"Why, aren't you bright then. If there ever comes a time when I can't tell my right servo from my left, I'll make sure to consult your presumptuous aft to find out." He grinned at me in a way that was so unnerving it took all my willpower not to shiver.

A few other Academy students snickered behind my back. I felt my wings vibrate in anger. The sergeant turned to the other mechs behind me—who weren't laughing anymore, I noticed smugly. He lumbered over—the mess hall was dead silent now—and planted his fists down on the edges of their table, kneading it. He put on a sickly sweet smile, "Excuse me, femmes, am I interrupting your gossip?"

The mechs shook their helms vigorously, sitting up straighter. "No, our apologies, Master Sergeant."

 _Hotshot Grounders, thinking they run the place_ , I thought derisively, smirking at their plight.

"Maybe I should've become a comedian, because it seems like you all find me so fraggin' funny! Isn't that right, Private Scream?" And just like that, the tables had turned again. I had to bite my lip to keep from rudely telling him it was _Starscream_.

"Yes, Master Sergeant." I answered out of habit as he came back over to the table where I sat, alone as usual. My smug air had vanished, and appeared around the other mechs who smirked behind the sarge's back. Being humiliated in front of _Grounders_ was bad enough, but the whole mess hall was watching now. My wings and faceplates burned with shame, but I prayed on the Allspark that it didn't show. _One day I'll outrank you, I swear it. And when that day comes, you'll wish you'd never came into existence._

"Private, are you wondering why I'm here at this table right now?" His tone had lost its jeer, taking me by surprise. A trickle of relief ran down my spinal struts and I nodded. "Well, there's a special someone here who wants to have a word with you." I blinked blankly. " _Special someone"? It must be someone important… this can't be about that time Skywarp and I switched the first lieutenant's polish with glue, he doesn't even know it was us! Does he?_

"Private Scream! Are you expecting me to hold your sweet little servo and carry you over to the general, swaddled in a slaggin' blanket? MOVE YOUR AFT!"

I jumped and the bench I had sat on fell backwards with a loud clatter. The Grounders behind me snickered and whispers whipped through the mess hall. _The general._ _The general._ Feeling sick to my tanks, I plodded off, wings drooping more with each step I took. I knew where the general's office was, everyone did. It was also, coincidentally, the place everyone steered clear of.

I reached the room faster than I thought it should've taken, and the steel door irised open to admit me. I stood on the threshold warily, only seeing slanting shadows pooling on the floor inside.

"General, sir? You needed to see me?"

No reply. I tentatively stepped over the threshold, and it was like the air pressure suddenly vanished. My audials crackled with static, and I whirled around to see the open doorway behind me.

It had vanished, door and all, replaced by an impassive steel wall. My spark dropped another few feet. This was not good.

"This isn't funny, whoever you are!" I noticed my voice was an octave higher than it should've been. "Stop this nonsense! I'm sure you have better things to be doing!"

"Actually…" a voice uncannily like my own trailed off, and a pair of red opics with white pupils appeared on the edge of the blackness. I backed away until I bumped in the wall, but they drew closer. "You do not."

"Go away! I don't have anything you want, I swear!" I begged shrilly, flattening my trembling self against the all-too-solid wall.

"Yes, Star, you do. You have potential." The voice's owner stepped into the light; a mirror image of me, but somehow looking more sure of himself. Maybe it was the ghost of a smile on his silver faceplates, or the way his helm was cocked slightly, matching his leaning stance.

"I–wha–who are you?"

He crossed his arms and pouted, "Don't recognize me? What, have you never looked in a mirror?"

It was my turn to frown at him, "Is this some kind of test? Was there something in my energon?"

"Sev sends his regards," he examined the tips of his talons knowingly.

"What is the point of this?" I growled. "If I'm being tested–"

"Trust me, you aren't. None of this is strictly real, save for the two of us." he swept his arm at everything but me. I was rendered slack-jawed, somehow believing him, even though I didn't want to. Not to mention the fact that I didn't have the faintest idea of what he meant.

"Am I drugged?" I asked seriously.

"You're just recharging—maybe a bit worse for wear if memory serves." he replied in a soothing tone.

"Are you real?"

"I hope so. Starscream—me—you—I need your help. I'm your future self, and I know how processor-glitching insane that sounds. I remember it fully."

My jaw dropped. "Say I believe everything you just said, and will humor you. If I'm willing to help, what exactly am I getting into?" I tried to say nonchalantly. _What the frag was in that energon?_

He looked upwards and sighed, suddenly looking a few centuries older. "It isn't what you will be getting into, per se, but what you are getting out of."

I scowled. "If you don't give me a straight answer by the count of three—assuming this is a dream, I will wake up. One."

"Oh? And how might that be?" A smile quirked the corner of his mouth.

"Two."

The smile faltered.

I raised a sharp talon and pointed it at my leg. "Three."

He lunged forward and grabbed my wrist, stopping the tip of my finger an inch above my thigh plating. "Fine! Fine! Just stop! You cannot fathom how important this is!"

"Oh?" I mimicked, shaking off his grip. I was growing more anxious by the minute. "And what happened to me? Start from the beginning, because _I_ deserve to hear every last detail."

He raised his servos slightly, an apologetic look crossing his features. "I… ah… can't do that."

"WHAT?!" I screeched, waving my servos. "You just _appear_ out of the blue, say you're me from the future, drop a few more cryptic bombshells and then beg for my help?! WELL YOU CAN GO FRAGGING HELP YOURSELF! I HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS TO DEAL WITH AT PRESENT AS IT IS!" He looked genuinely hurt, but there was also a spark of terror in his optics. My tone dropped to a belligerent whisper, "So you can go pack up your future aft and jump back into the next millennium! Leave me out of this!"

"Please, Star, you don't understand. I've never been more desperate, and I say that knowing full well what you're going through now—what I went through." his tone had slipped up an octave, just the way mine does when I'm nervous or afraid. "I can't tell you what will happen, but we have to change it. This is bigger than just the shrink ray, or your wings, even your T-Cog! And for the record, the present for me is a year in the future for you."

That caught my attention. I focused on him a bit more closely and was startled to see lubricant welling up in the corners of his optics. That wasn't the worst, however. A veil of hopelessness shrouded him, as if he already knew that I adamantly thought he was lacking in the marble department.

"Star," he said hurriedly, taking advantage of my temporary silence, "I don't know how I managed to contact you. It happened once before, and I tried to give you a heads-up. Prove me wrong, and then say I have a screw loose. After all, you're only saying the same about yourself." His tone had taken an abrupt turn down scathing lane. "I don't need you to believe me. I just need you to do what I tell you to do!"

"And why would I _ever_ do that?"

"Because the only bot or person you trust is yourself. I am you, therefore: _trust me_!"

I scowled at his logical reasoning.

"You have to promise me that you will not, _NOT_ retrieve your T-Cog from Silas, no matter what!"

I blinked. "That's absurd!"

The other Starscream, future me, a figment of my imagination, whatever he was stepped right into my faceplates. "Promise me. PROMISE ME!" I flinched at his abrupt change in attitude, too stunned to say anything. My intakes came in shallow, panicked pants. " _Would you rather–_ "

* * *

I snapped awake, staring at the dark ceiling that soared above me, unreachable unless if I was able to fly. _Why in Pit did he say_ not _to get my T-Cog? He looked as though it was life or death! It must have been a figment of my processor, I really shouldn't be surprised with the events of late._ I reasoned with myself. _But… he implied that I_ do _get my T-Cog back, if I can even believe that he's from the future. Can I? Or is it just my subconscious' wishful thinking…_ I shoved the thought out of my helm. I had to get my T-Cog, I could hardly function without it.

My internal clock read 8:53 a.m. "Perfect," I sighed shakily. I shook off the confines of the dream, forcing myself to pretend it never happened. But it still tickled at the back of my processor, like an irksome itch I couldn't quite reach.

* * *

Someone was shaking me awake. "C'mon Mom, just a few more minutes." I groaned and buried my head beneath my pillow.

It wasn't Mom's voice, but Will's, that answered me. "Rising is mandatory, shining is optional."

"Ugh, why do you morning people have to be so cheerful? You're worse than Mel on a bad day!"

He laughed in response, and yanked off my blankets. I gave up on the hope of sleeping in and threw my pillow at him. He caught it and hurled it at my head. I sighed in defeat, sitting up and raised my hands in surrender.

"Dude, I had the strangest dream last night," I yawned.

"Yeah?" He asked and pulled on a sock, sitting at the foot of my bed,

"Starscream was real, but like, our size after being hit by a shrink ray before he met us. We grabbed some energon, then went to the _Harbinger_ , where you cut his wings off."

My friend laughed. "That's rich."

"I remem–" an unexpected yawn cut me off, "remember he said he'd send a ground bridge for us at nine so we could go back there…" I glanced at the clock. 8:58 a.m.

"Hey, Oliver, wanna hear something?"

"Hit me."

"I thought I just did." he teased.

8:59.

His smile stretched into a grin, and I was pretty sure it wasn't because he had just put on his other sock. "That wasn't a dream."

9:00. As if to punctuate his words, the green vortex of what could only be a ground bridge appeared on the other end of my room. We both looked at each other incredulously. "You've got to be kidding me." I exclaimed and leapt to my feet, wide awake.


	8. 7 - Seven

VII - Seven

Will walked through the bridge first. "Oliver's coming." He said, answering my question before I even opened my mouth. Sure enough, said human stumbled through the bridge not a minute later, pulling on a grey sweatshirt that matched the color of my chest plate.

"Good morning," he smiled cheerily at me.

I ignored him, closing the ground bridge. Suddenly, Will clapped a hand to his face. I jumped at the sudden noise. "We forgot to grab breakfast! Scream, could you send us back for a few minutes?" He asked, turning to me.

"I don't know, can I?" I simpered. He gave me a look. "Make it quick." I huffed, reopening the bridge. "And don't call me that."

"I don't think Screamer's a morning person either." Oliver jested. My wings would have twitched in annoyance had I still retained possession them.

"I would stop talking if you are rather attached to your lips." I growled. "My name is Starscream! S-T-A-R-S-C-R-E-A-M!" Oliver waved me away good-naturedly and they jogged through the swirling vortex.

I rolled my optics, "Good riddance. I cannot wait to get some like-minded company!"

* * *

Mom opened the door a split-second after the bridge had closed. I let out a sharp breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"Morning, Mom." I smiled at her, but Will only stared off into space. I kicked him.

"Yeah, can we have something to eat?" He said, snapping out of a daze.

"Sure." She replied warmly, "There's some leftover casserole in the fridge from last night." He raised an eyebrow. "I'm just kidding! I'm frying up some bacon right now, you can have that with some eggs with that or cereal."

"She's saving the donuts for herself." I butted in.

" _Oliver_ , shh!" She winked, leaving the room.

Will faced me, rubbing his leg. "Sheesh, why do you have to kick so hard!" He exclaimed. "Take me to your donuts." From there, I led the way downstairs into our kitchen. At least humanity wasn't condemned to eating rocks.

I opened a cabinet in the kitchen, pulling out a small box of assorted donuts. Will grabbed a chocolate one, I grabbed a raised glaze, tearing a big hunk out of it with my teeth.

"Why you gotta raze that glaze?" Will chuckled. I punched his arm.

"Okay, that was bad," he admitted, smile not faltering in the slightest.

"Where were you two yesterday?" Mom asked nonchalantly, opening a drawer.

"Mmmph." Will answered, his face full of donut.

"We were hanging out with a friend." I covered smoothly. It was a white lie, as I couldn't exactly call Starscream a friend. I hoped I'd be able to sometime.

Will swallowed his mouthful, "Yeah, and speaking of, we need to get back there, ASAP."

"I beg to differ," she replied.

"Why?" I asked nervously. Surely Starscream was getting impatient by now.

"You are going to babysit Mel while I do some shopping. And Will can join you."

Fantastic. "Can't you just take her with you?" I offered lamely.

"Do I want her to know what I'm getting her for Christmas?" She countered.

"Already?" Will asked.

"Do you even know my mother?" He rolled his eyes. "Wait, what happened to Jessica?" I asked, recalling our former babysitter.

"She's been at the University of Arizona for roughly three years." Mom said matter-of-factly.

"What! We live in California, she's a traitor!"

"We could call Tony." Will suggested, opting to ignore my comment.

I shrugged. "What the heck. Sure."

* * *

The humans strolled through the ground bridge. "What took you?" I growled, closing it.

"Mom." Oliver explained, "She wanted us to babysit Melody." I gave him an annoyed look. "My four-year-old sister?"

"Hardly a worthwhile excuse!" I snapped.

"Guys, go to Antarctica and take a few chill pills. Scream, I'm dying to see how tall you really are!"

"You two are killing me with your constant chatter," I muttered. They frowned at me. "Fine. The maximum amount of energon I can give without potentially damaging myself _permanently_ is about is almost a sixth of the stuff that currently flows within me. That amount cannot successfully trick the protoform," my voice raised an octave, "yet is just enough to potentially terminate me!"

"There he goes again." Will's sarcastic remark fell upon deaf audials.

"Well, then what?" Oliver asked, raising his hands. "It's not like we can duplicate yours. We'd need a clone or something, and we just ran out of them last week."

I scowled at him, "That isn't funny, you know."

He gave me a sideways glance, a slight smirk quirking his lips upward. "I know."

"Scream, what if you just hooked up an IV line to your arm or something?" Will suggested.

"How many times to I need to remind you _not_ to call me that!" I snarled. "And yes, I'd just love to hook up an IV that pumped a steady flow of energon in while another trickled out. But if you have failed to notice, the equipment here was built for twenty-plus-foot-tall Cybertronians, not human-sized ones!"

"Then…" he struggled to grasp an idea, "... can't you just… draw small amounts over a long period of time? Like, take a third of the stuff today, another tomorrow, and so on?"

"Energon does not regenerate in our systems like your blood does, we need to consume it. However, we can last much longer without fueling up than you organics are able to. If I did that, it could take weeks."

"And that leaves one option–"

"Taking it all at once." I gulped. "Mind you, the bare minimum would be slightly more than a quarter of what is in me. I ran the calculations while you were dawdling at your quarters, and they check out."

"Please tell me you have the right equipment for drawing it out on hand?" Will asked.

"The good news is that I do."

"And the bad news?" Oliver prodded.

"I was getting to that." I said, irritated. "The bad news is that I'll surely pass out before I can finish, so one of you will have to take the wheel from there, so to speak." I neglected to mention that the chances I would survive were lower than half, unless I received some sort of transfusion.

"Except neither of us have our driver's licenses." Oliver quipped.

Unamused, I steered the conversation back on course. "Do you know how to operate a simple plunger?"

"Of course we do!" They both replied in unison.

"Then you'll be fine."

"Okay, how much do we need, and what should we do with it when we're done?" Oliver asked.

I told them the exact amount, and pointing to where the syringe lay on a table. Will grabbed it, standing on Oliver's shoulders. "Then, you need to combine mine with some fresh energon, you can just fill the syringe with it. But wait until I wake up to inject it." What I really meant was _if_ I woke up.

"That's a lot of energon." Will pointed out, setting the syringe down.

"Thank you for stating the obvious."

"Starscream, I'm not an idiot. My mom is a doctor, she's told me that people can only donate about a pint of of blood at once. That's about a tenth of the blood in an average person. And you're suggesting that we take almost a third of yours, that's practically a death sentence. How desperate are you?!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. I answered, trembling.

"You can stay mini-sized and flightless for the rest of your existence." Oliver cut in.

"Thank you for your thoughtful insight, Mr. Sunshine." Will's sarcasm could have melted a boulder.

"I would rather offline than be stuck like this for rest of my life, however long that may be. As for now, I'm done stalling." I deadpanned. My tone betrayed no emotion, fortunately, but I was quaking in my pedes. I hooked up a biometric spark monitor to my chest plate, it wasn't very large in the first place, so it wasn't terribly difficult to handle.

"What's that for?" Oliver asked and leaned over, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

"So you know if I'm dead or not," I whimpered. The pair didn't respond to that. I grabbed the massive syringe, nervously eyeing its long needle. It felt like they were holding their breath, anxiously watching as I plunged its business end into my arm. "No sense in waiting." I muttered to myself, shifting my grip as I slowly raised the plunger, my servo shaking. The electric blue fluid began collecting in the bottom of the massive syringe. I watched it rise, until my arm reached its maximum length. It hardly held any energon so far. Oliver took it from there, raising the plunger at the same pace I had.

"Go slowly, or you could get bubbles in my veins." I cautioned.

"That's reassuring." He said sarcastically.

I closed my optics, lying supine on the floor. Might as well get comfortable. "Starscream, you still here?" Will asked a bit too loudly.

I opened my optics, meeting his worried gaze with my scarlet one. "I have told you not to patronize me before." I was startled that with each intake, I felt slightly more drained, in more ways than one.

I could vaguely tell that the tiny syringe was almost a quarter full, about half of the energon that we needed.

* * *

"Hey, I think he's waking up!" Someone exclaimed happily, their voice distorted beyond recognition.

I onlined my optics. My helm felt like it was stuffed with cotton, I blinked blearily, looking around. My vision and audio slowly came into focus. I pushed myself into a sitting position, immediately triggering a splitting headache. I gently shook my helm as a feeble attempt to clear it.

"How long was I out?" I asked, mildly surprised to find my voice was ragged.

"About a day." Oliver said. "It's November third."

"Just my luck," I murmured, "Were you able to collect all the energon?" I asked anxiously.

"Yep." He plopped a cube of the very stuff down in front of me. "Drink up."

Will showed me the syringe, it was nearly half full. Satisfied, I dug into the cube.

* * *

Oliver teetered on Will's shoulders in the lab once again. He reached for the hole in which to inject the syringe, which was now filled with a mixture of pure energon and mine. Will took a baby step forward, causing Oliver to sway back and forth.

"Watch it!" I yelped, anxiously drumming a few fingers on my thigh.

Finally, he managed to plunge the syringe into its sheath. He lost his balance, falling on top of the other boy.

"Next time, I'm on the top." Will groaned from beneath Oliver.

"There won't be a next time." I said, rubbing a tense spot on the back of my neck cables while watching the computer suck the syringe dry. The thin tubes hooked up to the protoform flooded with the blue liquid and emptied in another couple of seconds.

The humans stared, eyes widening as the protoform bulged and dipped in many different directions at once. It sprouted wings, its faceplates thinned, became taller, the heels were pointed, twin red missiles sprang up on its arms, all this happening in under a few seconds.

I gazed upon a whole replica of myself. Lastly, his optics onlined, a perfect match to the fiery crimson of my own.

"Hello, ah, what do you wish to be called?" I asked, clacking my talons together.

"Screamstar." he stated, wings fanning out for effect as a mischievous grin split his faceplates. The two humans guffawed at that, and the clone chuckled gently.

"Are you serious?" I groaned.

"Of course not, you should know," he countered like it was obvious.

"Nope, I'm naming you. Hm…" I settled on an entirely unoriginal name as revenge. "Seven."

"What! That's so…"

"Learn to love it." I replied haughtily. "I trust you know my plan?"

"To board the _Nemesis_ and relieve the shrink ray from Megatron's grasp in order to reverse its effects on you."

"Impressive." I said, unimpressed.

"I share your very thoughts, emotions, and memories, Starscream." Seven replied smoothly.

"Well then." I replied vaguely, unnerved.

* * *

The four of us exited the _Harbinger_ , the two humans' mouths still agape in amazement. The doors to the ship slammed closed behind us.

"Prior to this incident, I had been triangulating coordinates to the _Nemesis_ , and it currently is orbiting high above the Atlantic Ocean." I relayed the exact latitude and longitude coordinates. "The million dollar question is how you will get up there."

He spontaneously jumped high into the air, topping it off with a backflip. The three of us stepped back in surprise. He transformed into his alt mode, igniting his thruster and blasted us with a wave of heat. He hovered in midair, spinning around so his nose cone faced us.

"How—you can transform?" I yelped in surprise. "Ah, o-of course you can. That was a test, which you–uh, passed." I covered not-so smoothly. "Showoff." I muttered.

"This is how I'll get there." I could hear the smug grin in his tone that he hadn't bothered hiding at my expense. His thruster burned and he skimmed the bottom of his fuselage just above the humans' heads before launching up into the sky in a flash of silver. I felt jealousy begin to fill my spark.

He faded to a pinprick of shadow against the stark blue sky, then vanished altogether with his rapid ascent. Oh, how I ached to fly again, more than any other physical wound that had been inflicted upon me.

"Wow," said Oliver, awestruck.

"Can we order pizza?" Will asked.

I sighed.


	9. 8 - The Nemesis

VIII - The _Nemesis_

 _Seven. That's what Starscream_ _had called me, being the sixth clone, seventh only to him_ , I thought as I shot toward the _Nemesis_. I despised the idea of being called by a number instead of a designation, as if I was an "it." Like _I_ was an object unworthy of a name. I knew he wanted to put me in my place, quite possibly saying: y _ou are the last in line, and don't forget it!_

My train of thought derailed as I hit a pocket of turbulence, I concentrated on adjusting my ailerons and flaps to combat the unpredictable wind. However, it hid much stronger gusts until I flew into a cloud. Starscream never liked flying through them, and through him, I didn't either. Water droplets condensed on my armor, increasing the chance it could rust. And it was a pain to shove a towel into all my joints and the gaps between my plating, a process that could take hours.

Without warning, a gust buffeted me upward out of the cloud. I was surprised to find I was flying upside down, and quickly righted myself. Now I actually was beneath it. I made tight spirals to shake off the water, relishing in how the liquid streamed off my fuselage and wings much more effectively than any towel could hope to compete with.

I was back into calm air a few minutes later. I pushed my thruster to go faster and did a couple barrel rolls in celebration, savoring the feel of cool air rushing over my wings. But my corkscrew was cut short by a ping on my comm. _Can't I have a moment's peace?_ I thought, and grudgingly opened the frequency.

"Seven, how is everything up there?" Starscream's impatient voice bounced around my cockpit.

"Still en route to the _Nemesis_ , but was held up by some turbulence a minute ago. I'm going at slightly subsonic speeds, should arrive at the warship in a couple hours."

"Be quick about it," he replied curtly, "comm me when you have a visual on the ship."

I huffed in affirmative, banking hard to the right to get back on course.

* * *

I reached the Atlantic ocean one and a half hours of leisurely flying later. The city of New York appeared below me and I slowed down, intrigued by the human architecture. It was nothing compared to the formerly great megalopolises of Cybertron, but still impressive that the small humans managed to build these towering skyscrapers.

I dove down, slowly circling the Empire State Building while audibly admiring and criticizing different parts of its architecture. It afforded me a closer view of the megacity that sprawled beneath me. But humans were noticing me. I saw dozens stopping on sidewalks gazing skyward, some taking pictures with little flashes of light from their cell phones.

I sure knew how to draw the wrong kind of attention to myself. Sighing, I dove out of my circle and skimmed the tops of skyscrapers with the tips of my wings for sport. _Silly humans_ , I thought with a sneer, watching them gawk up at me and point.

A sudden ping on my comm jolted me out of my reverie. It wasn't on my private frequency, like I expected Starscream to use. I answered it out of pure curiosity.

"This is General Bryce of the United States Air Force. Unknown aircraft, you are unauthorized to fly in New York airspace. You will be escorted to the nearest international airport where we shall check your documents and records, we will use force if necessary." A harsh, nasally, male voice ordered.

 _I'd love to see him try._ I smirked and disregarded the message, entering a steep vertical climb. But surely enough, not a minute later, two identical silver jets flew up beside me without warning. Slag. At least my cockpit's glass was darkly tinted so they couldn't tell that I did not have a human pilot. I stopped in mid flight as my engine began to stall, a feat that their pathetic jets were incapable of. They blew right past me, just as I intended. I readied my missiles as they both moved into my sights and fired, narrowly missing the first plane's fuselage and clipped the second's wing tip. The most damage it did was trail a thin line of smoke. I growled in frustration and launched into pursuit.

They both split off into some clouds just overhead, vanishing from my sight completely. But not my heat-seeking missiles. A malicious grin slid over my hidden faceplates. _Hide-and-seek it is, then._ I already was a Seeker, why not play the part?

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" I crooned, activating my sensors. They were too easy to locate inside the cloud, wingtip to wingtip a few hundred meters in front of my current location. I shot forwards, missiles readied.

What I found was a balloon with a pair of blinking red lights attached to it. Twin signals. _I can't believe I fell for such an obvious trick!_ I thought angrily, and scanned the area for the real jets. I located them, flying _away_ from my location.

Then I noticed the blinking lights speeding up, followed by a quiet _tick, tick, tick_. A small display counted down from nine seconds.

"Scrap!" I gasped, blasting my thruster. I sped out over the ocean like a bullet. Then a loud _BOOM_ and flash of white startled me so badly that I almost crashed into the waves below, which now were just a blur of blue. I broke the sound barrier, and saw the explosion high above the Atlantic not a second later. Way too close of a call, even by my standards. I felt my engine beginning to overheat as I sped up to nearly Mach three. Shaken, I slowed down to a few hundred miles per hour and flew up to where I knew the _Nemesis_ hovered, about four miles from here due north.

Slowly, the ship came into full view dead ahead of me, a behemoth piercing the ragged clouds. A good thing too, I was starting to flag after two and a half hours of flying without a break, my nose cone kept gently dipping towards the gaping maw of the ocean. That only put me more on edge. The _Nemesis_ must have been cruising around, because at the rate I was going and with the coordinates Starscream provided, It should have taken me at least another half hour. Not that I was complaining.

"Starscream, I have a visual on the _Nemesis_." I commed.

I banked over a wispy cloud, just as two drones whizzed below me towards the ship. _Their timing could not be better._ The ship's hangar slowly raised open to accommodate them. They landed inside, transforming and walking down a hall to their right. As soon as they were out of sight, I shot out of the cloud, water droplets streaming off my hull. I urged my engine to go faster as the gap between the doors narrowed.

I slid in between the closing doors as the top one clipped my vertical stabilizer. I crashed to the floor, still in my alt mode, spinning forward in tight circles before coming to a complete stop. I remained still for a moment, certain that the loud noise would have brought every mech running within hearing distance. As no new sounds greeted me, I transformed back into my bipedal form, ending up on servos and knee plates. _Not exactly a graceful landing,_ I thought and stood up, brushing my servos off.

"I'm in." I hissed on a private comm link to Starscream.

"Good," came his immediate reply, "The _Nemesis_ ' cloaking mechanisms will make it impossible for us to communicate further when you exit the hangar." He replied matter-of-factly. "Best of luck."

"I know." I replied curtly. "Are you trying to jinx me?"

"Not on your function," he closed the frequency with a burst of static. Silence fell over the room, only broken my my light pedfalls tapping down the hallway and the gentle hum of the ship.

I was struck by how familiar everything was, from each twist of the corridors to the dim glow from the red lights overhead and each door studding the walls. It felt like they were from my memories, not Starscream's.

I came to a three-way intersection. Peeking around the left corner, I shot furtive glances, making sure the way was clear. Left led to the med bay, straight ahead lay some Vehicon quarters, and to the right was a cargo hold. I took a right without a second thought.

I started, my audials suddenly picking up quiet pedfalls coming from down an adjacent hallway behind me. _Scrap!_ I flattened myself against the nearest wall, forcing myself to take shallow, quiet intakes. The monotonous voices of a few Vehicon drones floated my way.

"I know I heard something coming from the hangar!" One of them insisted. "What if it's an Autobot intruder? Lord Megatron would reward us for their capture!"

"You said the same thing once, and it turned out to be the doctor working on something!" another protested.

I was panicking, there was nowhere to hide. Any second now they were going to turn the corner and find me here. _Lord_ Megatron would reward them indeed. If I were to successfully take them out, I had to bait them in closer.

I collapsed in a heap, going completely limp and offlining my optics. I heard them round the corner, and their gasps of surprise.

"Commander Starscream!" one of them said in shock.

"He isn't the commander anymore," the second reminded him. The twin sets of pedfalls came closer.

"Should we contact Knock Out?" The first asked again.

"No, we should bring him to Lord Megatron, if he's still online." My sensitive wings picked up the pair's movements towards me in the otherwise still air. I held my intakes, waiting. One of them grabbed my arm, shaking me. What I assumed was the other nudged me with the tip of his pede.

"He's online," the Vehicon announced. I flipped over and wrenched the drone's servo off my arm, then viciously kicked his legs out from under him. I lunged at the second drone. His optics widened a millisecond before I punched him square in the side of the helm. He crumpled to the ground, but the first was already on his pedes again, onlining his blasters and opened his comm.

"Lord Meg–" I slashed his chest plate, halting his speech. He stumbled backwards, losing his balance and fell onto his back. He struggled to get up, onlining his comm again by pressing two fingers to the side of his helm. I planted a pede firmly on his torn chest plate, forcing him back to the ground. He grabbed my leg, straining to unbalance me, but I kicked his helm.

"Stay down." I said smugly, watching the light fade from his visor. Surely enough, now that little scuffle was over I felt anxiety trickling back into my frame. I dragged the unconscious mechs to a shadowy part of the wall, propping them up there. My time was now cut down drastically. Megatron had surely received the drone's transmission, and would be coming to investigate. I couldn't exactly pull the same trick on him.

I sprinted away toward the cargo hold, pedes clacking against the hard floor. I had to flatten myself against the wall twice more, once hearing Knock Out's voice, another time to the sound of light pedfalls of a silent mech. I didn't need to see to know it was Soundwave. The latter had a habit of lurking around.

I entered a code to open an unassuming door next to the entrance to the cargo hold. I was met with several Iacon relics, but my gaze fell on one that was a dead ringer to the Immobilizer.

The shrink ray. "This is too easy!" I gloated, dashing over and snatched it off its pedestal.

"Well met, Starscream. It would seem that you enjoyed your past punishments too much…" Megatron's voice stopped me cold. I slowly turned around, wings already dipping. I tightened my grip on the ray, whether it was out of fear of a sudden spark of bravery, I couldn't tell. "… and came back for seconds. I remember you were shorter," he added, a malevolent smirk slowly stretching across his faceplates like a jagged wound.

"Do not toy with me." I warned, slowly backing up while luring him deeper into the room. He only glared. I edged to the side, closer to the door while pointing the ray at him. "One false step and I'll fire!" My voice quavered on the last syllable.

"Nonsense! You don't even know how to operate it." The warlord replied, confident the "battle" had been already won.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I replied coyly, trying to buy time.

"Hand over the relic," he held out his servo.

"If you want it," I said, smile faltering, "you'll have to take it."

He suddenly charged me. I scrambled for the open door, bursting out into the hall and startled a group of Vehicons. "Seize him, but do not harm him! I will inflict what I see fit!" Megatron bellowed, barreling at me. The drones, having recovered from their initial shock, surged towards me, transforming their servos into blasters. I sprang up, transforming around the ray to make sure it ended up in my cockpit and not in pieces. Then I shot down the corridor, feeling Megatron's servo clamp down on the air where I was not a moment before. "STARSCREAM!" He yelled, transforming as well. I shot over the drones' helms, narrowly missing some of their blaster fire and the walls in the process. I had flown these halls a multitude of times before—Starscream had—it was nothing as long as I stayed at an angle. But for Megatron, being a larger mech, it was a tight squeeze indeed. But somehow he gained on me with every turn.

Drones lunged out of the way of my frantic dash left and right. I took another random turn, and was met with a rapidly approaching dead end. I transformed, skidding to a halt. Megatron followed suit.

"End of the line, Starscream. Any final words?" He growled, enunciating each syllable. His red optics blazed with a maddened, unpredictable fury. Then I noticed that the wall pressed to my back wasn't a wall at all, but a door painted to look like one. I vaguely remembered this one, we never had made use of it, being that it led straight to the outside. I stretched out an arm, searching for the lock as Megatron slowly drew closer, savoring each passing moment.

"None that aren't cliché," I muttered, and slammed my fist onto the lock's control panel. The door burst open, and I dove out. "Starscream, I require a bridge at my coordinates!" I commed, watching the ship as Megatron leapt out after me, transforming into his alt mode.

"How am I supposed to do that, you're in free fall! Use your wings, or have you forgotten about them?" Starscream snapped.

"I can't possibly be precise enough to not break the ray if I transform around it like this!" I shot back, yelling over the howling wind.

"You have the shrink ray?" He exclaimed eagerly.

"I won't for long if you don't bridge me out of here!" The Atlantic was fast approaching, and Megatron was only an arm's length away. A bridge appeared beneath me… right as the warlord slammed into my side. We missed it by a stone's throw.

"How did you miss the bridge!" He shrieked.

"Did I mention Megatron?" I replied, my voice an octave higher. I threw the ray, time slowed as it twirled end over end towards my rapidly ascending bridge. I didn't see if it went through.

* * *

I anxiously paced back and forth on the bridge of the _Harbinger_ , watching the open bridge. I was half expecting Decepticon troops to pour out of it at any second. That thought drove me to close it. I pulled up the screens, erasing the vortex.

"Starscream!" Oliver yelped in excitement.

"What!?" I spun on my heel, facing him. He bent over something on the floor, blocking it from my view, then picked the object up as if it was sacred. He held it above his head with both arms in a gesture of triumph. I finally allowed a trickle of hope to lift me up.

The shrink ray had come through after all, but lacking my clone.

* * *

I flipped onto my back at the sound of Megatron transforming. My optics widened as far as they could go as he grabbed onto one of my wings, then dug his servos into the side of my chest plate. I couldn't transform away because if I did, my wings would have been so warped that I wouldn't be able to fly, thanks to the tyrant's grip.

"Have mercy!" I shrieked, futilely trying to fight back. Despite my struggle, he managed to pin me in midair.

"Soundwave, I require a ground bridge," he announced to the empty sky. We were about to crash into the waves below, but fell through a new bridge that just popped into existence. I was washed in a bright flash of white light signaling that we had passed through it. Somehow, it was more terrifying than the thought of being slowly crushed in the ocean's depths.

The bridge and door were the only sources of light, and our red optics in this new place. It was a small, bare room with a single hinged door. A _barred_ door, I noted with panic. I lunged for the bridge, and Megatron grabbed me once again. It closed before my outstretched fingertips and wide optics.

Then he threw me across the room. I hit the opposite wall, hard. My wings flattened behind me, surely making an imprint in the wall. I fell to the floor, leaning against the wall and sat there, dazed. I watched him come back over to me, taking slow, meticulous strides.

"After the battle, after you escaped me, I promised myself that the next time I laid optics on you," he murmured, coming closer, "you would be sent to dear Knock Out in a matchbox. And that is a promise I intend to keep." I shook my helm, clearing it, just as he kicked my side. I gasped, more from surprise than pain. "The nerve you must have, coming here," he growled, "are you really this desperate for energon?"

He picked me up by my neck cables, "Starscream, you deserve more than this," he tightened his grip and I released a bubbling whimper, "more than this," he punched my cockpit, "and this…" his words slowly blurred together beneath my pathetic wails for mercy and cries of pain.

* * *

I shook my helm wryly and wiped at a trickle of energon spilling out of my mouth, grimacing at the sharp taste.

"That's in his top ten." I was leaking energon left and right and bet I sure was a sight. But my new wounds were put out of mind by a renewed thirst for revenge. I feverishly paced back and forth with a new limp, devising the warlord's future, often graphic demise and hoping that Starscream had gotten the shrink ray. I halted in my tracks, hearing pedfalls outside my cell.

"What now, _Lord_ Megatron?" I growled, hearing a crackle of static in my voice.

"Starscream? I bet my finish he was keeping you chained up somewhere!" Knock Out said, coming into my view.

"I'll bet you didn't." This time my voice was a gravelly, disdainful purr. I slunk back into the shadows, just out of his sight.

He touched a servo to his red chest plate, "Oh, please. Do you think I wouldn't have visited you if I didn't care?"

I snorted derisively. "You and Megatron."

"What's that supposed to mean? No, don't tell me, he used you as a punching bag again, didn't he?"

"Hmph."

"Starscream, I'm a doctor." He said like it was news.

"Yes, you are very adept at standing by as he beats me senseless." My sarcasm was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"You wouldn't want the handsome bot who's responsible for fixing you up all the time to be damaged himself, now would you?" The medic argued, crossing his equally red arms over his chest plate and cocked his helm, making sure that the glass of the windows on them caught the light.

I conceded with a gruff sigh, too tired and in pain to argue.

The mech tutted, "It can't be that bad," he waved a servo, "you sound fine. Give me a look." I complied and stepped out of the shadows.

" _It can't be that bad._ " I mocked at the sight his astonished faceplates.

He seemed to mentally shake himself and the astonishment turned to contempt. "Get to the med bay. I can't stand the sight of that. You should take better care of yourself, Starscream." he scolded, "If you keep antagonizing Megatron, what do you think is going to happen?"

"Last time I checked, you don't bring a prisoner to the doctor just because they have a few scratches!" I bristled.

"I hate to burst your bubble," he said with an inflection implying the opposite, "but what you've got there is a _tad_ more than a few scratches."

"I do not deserve this twisted fate! I'm his SIC, his-his fragging first lieutenant!"

"Not anymore," he replied bluntly. But then the lock on my cell's door clicked.

I watched the red mech walk away through the bars, wondering if I had just found an ally. I nudged the door open with my shoulder plate and began to limp down the corridor.


	10. 9 - The Nemesis II

IX - The _Nemesis_ II

I leaned against the med bay's open door in a way that I hoped appeared to be casual. "Ahem."

"There's an open berth to your left." Knock Out glanced up from his buffer as I limped inside the room.

"I didn't come here for re–"

His optics suddenly widened. "Move!" He hissed, and shoved me back against the wall. I was pretty sure that was the opposite of what doctors were supposed to do to their patients. Knock Out faced the door, "Something you need, Soundwave?"

The communications officer walked into the cluttered room as I quietly slipped behind a berth. "Move!" He played Knock Out's voice, cocking his helm slightly in question.

The medic held up his rotary buffer. "T-this caught in my elbow joint."

"… you would be sent to dear Knock Out…" Megatron's familiar rumble emanated from Soundwave.

"No, Starscream isn't here. I have work to do." The red mech huffed. "Get out of my sight," he muttered almost unintelligibly.

Soundwave tilted his helm a fraction as if saying: "Work? The room is empty."

* * *

"The shrink ray!" I cried, my chassis itching to be full-sized again.

Oliver hefted it, grunting, "This thing is heavier than it looks. Is there, like, an instruction manual?"

"The Ancients bothered to hide these relics from prying optics and clumsy servos, they would not be as careless to leave its operating schematics lying around where any half-wit such as yourselves could abuse them!"

"Sheesh, take a chill pill!" Will butted in.

I cleared my vocalizer loudly, "Fortunately, I can scan it." Oliver twirled the staff around carelessly. "Put that down!" I shrieked, "That is a very sensitive piece of technology, you wouldn't even understand _half_ of how valuable it is if it bit you in the aft!" I barked at him and he dropped it, making me fume even more so.

Will raised his arms in surrender, walking over towards Oliver. "Is this real gold?"

"Of course not!"

"Alright, let's give it a spin." Oliver twirled it again, then slammed the butt of it against the floor.

"Did I not make clear enough that it is a very _sensitive_ piece of technology!" I shrieked.

"Aha!" Oliver exclaimed pointing it at me while making the business end twirl in tight little circles. "Abracadabra!"

"Wait!" I shouted, holding up my servos.

Red electricity crackled between the two prongs as he held down a hidden button. "After all our hard work to get this thing, you say 'wait?' Why?!"

"Because neither of us knows how to operate it, and Primus knows, you could make me even smaller!"

Will grabbed a beaker. "Then let's test it on this." He set it down on a table at what I agreed was a safe distance away. Oliver pressed the hidden button down once more, this time aiming the staff at the beaker. An intimidating ball of red plasma grew between the two prongs, and he released the button.

A storm of red sparks shot out from the tip, engulfing the beaker. The ball of energy dissipated, leaving the beaker unchanged. Will cautiously prodded it.

"AH! That's hot!" He shook his hand back and forth, sticking his fingers in his mouth and winced.

"That was anticlimactic." I said.

"What if it's a fake?" Oliver suggested, frowning as he scrutinized its surface.

"This is not a fake. You could've broken it already!" My voice raised an octave and my frame began to tremble with anger. He flipped it over, slapping it roughly against his knee in response. "Stop that! Jarring something loose will not help anything!"

He looked back at me and the corner of his mouth quirked upward, "True, I bet that was your case." Will let out a low whistle _._

I attempted to shake off the not-so-subtle insult, but my tone now held an undercurrent of loathing. "I will run tests on it, and eventually I shall figure out the problem."

"But can we solve it?" Will pointed out.

"We have to." I replied firmly, trying to convince myself.

* * *

Knock Out slowly welded my last gash closed. "Not so close!" I snapped, "I can feel that in my wiring!" I jerked my arm away, cradling it against my chest plate. He grabbed it and slammed it back down on the side of the bed berth again, a bit too roughly.

"The sooner I'm done, the sooner I can redo your finish. So sit still!"

"Be gentler, or you will have to do your own as well," I warned, allowing a menacing snarl to enter my tone.

He gasped dramatically, "Are you threatening _this_?!" the medic waved at his chassis, "I just got it to a sheen this morning!" He tapped a claw against his gleaming red chest plate.

"Ahem, dear doctor? You wanted to _finish_?" I sneered.

"Do not play on words like that! Blasphemy!" He moaned while turning the welder on. A blue flame flared to life. I held out my arm again, rolling my optics. "I saw that!" He said, which of course triggered me to do it again. Finally he sealed the gash shut, and picked up a device quite similar to a power sander, and some grey paint. He grimaced, holding the sander as if it was about to attack him. "I have an entire closet dedicated to your colors alone…" he chuckled.

"Speaking of which, why are you sticking yours out for me?" I inquired, watching him apply a new coat to where the wounds had been on my chest plate.

"Stick my paint out for you? Not on my function!"

"Maybe an arm then." I suggested.

"I'm not exactly Megatron's number one fan either." He replied.

"So I've been told."

"What happened between you and him earlier during your plunge to the Atlantic? There are so many juicy rumors flying around about you stealing a valuable relic—so valuable it could have turned the tide of the war!" He exclaimed. "Which one was it?"

I decided to give him the truth, it couldn't hurt at this point with the ray already in Starscream's possession. "The shrink ray."

"That one the Big 'M' had just snatched out from the Bots' noses?"

"If you're implying there's another in existence, I'd be thrilled to hear it." I replied airily.

"Forgive me if I am wrong, but my audials are picking up an undercurrent–no, a _tidal wave_ of sarcasm, but what about it? You don't have the relic still, do you?"

"Of course not!" Knock Out turned the sander on, eliminating any notion of continuing the conversation. I felt it grind away at the globs of paint caking my chest plate until it was smooth as gossamer.

"Mhm." The medic clearly did not believe me, but he did not object further. "You didn't answer my first question," he persisted. I took a deep intake in annoyance, slowly pushing myself off the med berth. He took a step towards me out of instinct, lest I should fall.

"I'm fine." I pushed him away, and slipped in the process. I was weaker than I expected; I could barely move him.

"You are _not_ fine." he cautioned, but I steadied myself on the lab table.

"Oh, but I will be." I growled. "And as to answer your question, I sent the relic through a ground bridge."

"Megatron's?" He asked curiously, but his tone was laced with uncertainty.

"No." I straightened up, now attempting to appear like I was casually leaning on the table.

He gasped again. "Did you join the 'Bots?!" He looked at the Decepticon insignia on my chest plate as if it would somehow, in some way possible, change to Autobot.

"No!" I tried to say, but at that precise moment my intakes decided to turn against me and I doubled over in a fit of coughing. The warlord had done more damage to me internally than I had realized. Knock Out pushed me back down on the berth as I now cycled my intakes in a controlled manner, more or less. I tilted my helm away and wiped at a small trickle of energon that had come out of the corner of my mouth, hoping that the red mech had failed to notice.

But my response must have sounded closer to a "yes" because Knock Out gasped again. "YOU DID WHAT?!" The medic pressed a button on a console. I realized what he was doing a moment before he did it, and tried to jump up and shout "no, I said no!" before it was too late. But twin cuffs of blue energy sprang out of the med berth, shackling my pedes and servos to it. I arched my back and scrabbled at the berth, grinding my denta in frustration and glowered at the medic. After no tangible signs of success, I slumped back, accepting defeat.

Before I could even open my mouth to curse out the other mech, Megatron chose that moment to storm into the room. The medic jumped, spilling the grey paint bucket in surprise. It splattered out all over his right leg. He noticed it as the the bucket clattered to the floor, and then shrieked as if he had just touched a smelting pool.

"You! You caused this! Do you have any idea of how many hours it will take to get this back to a sheen again?" he carelessly challenged the larger mech, waving melodramatically at his leg. I would have sighed in exasperation had I not been terrified.

"Spare me your pain, dear Knock Out." The warlord rumbled. "I did not authorize you to give Starscream repairs." His gaze swept over to me, I was rudely reminded how I was unable to use my weapons and shackled to a berth with alleged internal injuries. Cold terror seeped into every vein until I felt like a block of ice. Megatron rendered the cuffs unnecessary, his gaze alone pinned me to the berth.

"My Lord, what do you require of our services?" Knock Out hissed through gritted denta, trying to brush the grey paint off, only smearing it.

"Merely a chance to see how your _patient_ is doing." He replied in a similar manner of more or less open hostility. The warlord's speech always disguised an ulterior motive, and my tank plummeted to my pedes as I realized this berth, this room was likely the last I will ever lay optics on. "If I could have a word with him, in private?" It was not a question, but an order. I strained against the twin cuffs of energy binding my wrists, but they held firm.

"My patient isn't going anywhere." Knock Out replied adamantly.

"Nor am I. How coincidental, don't you think?" Megatron's tone could have frozen molten steel. Knock Out moved to deactivate my cuffs, but the warlord held out a servo. "Leave him. I will deal with him as I see fit." The red mech shot one last worried glance at me as he stepped out of the room. The door closed behind him with the finality of a coffin lid.

I finally found my voice, "H-how much did you hear?"

"Enough to know why you are really here, _Commander_ Starscream." His tone was fluid contempt and malice. I gulped, then caught myself and tried to cover it with a cough. "Do you recall the punishment for treason?" He held up his servo, watching his silver claws flash in the light.

He was trying to intimidate me. The only problem was that he was succeeding tremendously. "Yes." I whimpered, my voice reedy.

"You pathetic creature. You disgust me, Starscream." He spat, coming closer. My optics widened as his sword slid out with a metallic _swoosh_.

"N-no, Lord Megatron! Show mercy!" I beseeched, "I beg of you!"

It descended on me in a silver arc. I gasped without realizing it, waiting for the explosion of pain that never came. Suddenly my wrists were free. "I will give you a chance to redeem yourself, to offline fighting rather than as a coward. But no such instance shall truly change who you are at spark." My optics widened again, now in surprise as he cut my leg bindings as well. I slid off the berth, fanning my wings in panic and looked to the door in hopes that the medic would make a reappearance. That was my first mistake.

He seized the opportunity, landing a heavy punch square in my jaw. I reeled backwards, my wings flattening against my back. I quickly regained my balance and transformed my servos into blasters. I fired a couple shots of red plasma—the first aimed at his chest plate, the second at a leg. He dodged them and vaulted over a lab table, sending various chemicals and their containers crashing to the floor. I was on the defensive. I narrowly dodged a swing from his fist, but missed a vicious kick to my cockpit. The glass shattered, and I cried out in agony as shards pierced some of the delicate circuitry underneath. I jumped back, transforming and touching a servo to the inside while blindly firing the other. It came back blue instead of black. I transformed the servo back into a blaster. One of my shots had hit his left shoulder plate, but he shrugged it off and kept coming. That was one of the perks of being the leader of one's own army: you got the best armor.

I was backed against the wall, and the grey mech rapidly closed in like a predator toying with its prey. I feinted left, then jumped right as his fist smashed a hole in the wall where I had just been standing not a moment ago. I desperately scanned the room for anything that could help me, and my optics settled onto a lab table. I sprinted and grabbed a large bottle—probably around five or six human gallons—its label reading H2. It was utter carelessness of Knock Out to just leave a bottle of hydrogen lying out in the open, but a great help to me at the moment. _This is a terrible idea, there are too many ways it could go wrong,_ I reflected, but it was too late to go back. I turned on a device similar to a bunsen burner and grabbed the nearest flammable object, which happened to be a wooden rack for holding vials. I held the bottle of H2 as far away as my arm could reach, and lit the rack. I didn't die, so far so good. I heard Megatron finally extract his fist from the wall, and his lumbering steps toward me grew louder volume.

"Starscream!" He roared, charging at me.

I spun on my heel and saw him hesitate for a moment at my response. I took advantage of that precious second and threw the bottle, the cap fell off and clattered anticlimactically across the floor. "That was your attack?" He laughed humorlessly. "My, my, Starscream, I would have expected more from a human!"

Then the bottle rolled on its side, exposing the label as I revealed the flame. The warlord made the connection after I had thrown the rack, optics blazing with anger as he futilely lunged forward in an attempt of an escape. A blast of light and a deafening explosion followed not a quarter of a second later, so powerful that I was thrown backwards across the table, my large wings picking up the blast. I reflexively squeezed my optics shut as the back of my helm hit the smooth, hard surface.

My audials were ringing and when I opened my optics, my vision was slightly blurred. I was a bit closer to that explosion than I would have liked. I gingerly pushed myself into a sitting position, relieved to find nothing was broken. I saw Megatron lying prostrate on the floor, out cold. Then the world did a rapid turn as my servo slipped in some spilled chemical. I fell back against the table again, quietly groaning. Then the sprinklers activated. I laid unmoving on the table, savoring the cool water splashing against my aching chassis. Knock Out chose that moment to burst into the room.

"Starscream? Megatron? Primus, what the frag happened to the two of you?! Why are the sprinklers on? I leave for a couple minutes, grab a cube of energon, and _this_ is what I come back to!?" I ached too much and was too exhausted to respond. I heard the medic checking the warlord's vitals, followed by a sigh of disappointment. So he was still online. That mech couldn't die if he tried; it seems whenever the universe is bored with itself, it resurrects him or the Prime. I heard him moving over to me and felt my servo starting to burn. Fantastic, I had slipped in an acid. Deciding enough was enough, I onlined my optics and pushed myself up again, successfully this time. "Back from the Pit?"

"Not on your paint job." I slid off the table, wobbling on my heels.

"How dare you say such a thing?! I shouldn't repair you for that!"

"Ha, ha." I was sorely unamused.

"How did you beat him?" He nudged the unconscious mech with the tip of his pede cautiously.

I rolled my large shoulder plates, "Easy, with my superior strength and fighting skills."

"Oh, I apologize; I should've known." His sarcasm was so thick one could cut it with a knife.

"I found a container of hydrogen and burned it. He didn't know what hit him."

"I'd join the Autobots to see that!" Knock Out exclaimed. But then his expression darkened.

"I tried to tell you earlier, I'm not one of them!" I burst out. Silence reigned for a couple moments as we stared at Megatron, deciding what to do with him.

"Then why did you say you were?" His voice startled me out of a crevasse of my thoughts. My helm whipped around at his voice, triggering the world to spin around me. I vented sharply, squeezing my optics shut and dug my servos into the table for balance.

I hadn't realized he was repeating "my" name until I opened my optics again. "Starscream? Helloooo? Starscream? You look even worse now than when you came in here!"

"What? The explosion did something to my audials, and my helm hurts like Pit." At the thought of it, all the pain rushed back from the battle and my beating beforehand. Every gouge and scrape now flared back to life, my cockpit stabbed pain through my chassis, I had a splitting headache, my servo smoldered, and my jaw's ache worsened. I tuned the medic's worried voice out and sank down on a nearby med berth, clutching my helm and shivering in agony.

"Starscream? Starscream, whose ground bridge was it?" He was right up in my faceplates, looking torn between concern and frustration. I ignored his question and weakly shoved him out of the way, bolting out of the med bay. I nearly tripped over Megatron in the process. I needed to escape this fragging ship.


	11. 10 - The Nemesis III

X - The _Nemesis_ III

I swung left around a corner among the maze of corridors inside the _Nemesis_. The halls were eerily quiet, the only sounds the thrum of the ship's engines and my pedes clacking against the floor. An idea had crept into my processor as I fled the med bay: What if I could snatch other relics before Megatron came around again? The opportunity was too good to pass up.

"Starscream!" Knock Out's voice over my comm startled me. I supposed that my frequency was similar enough to Starscream's that the message had somehow managed to come through. I didn't slow, skittering around another corner. He called Starscream's name again, but still I ignored him.

"Close, but not quite," I murmured wryly. I turned around a bend, and found myself sprinting towards the cargo hold. Towards the relics. A grin spread across my faceplates. This was too easy. I slid to a stop and entered the code on the keypad outside the door a second later, but then was met with a rude _BEEP._

"What! Why is this not working?!" I growled, shaking it. I tried re-entering the code, and the same harsh sound greeted me again. "Scrap!" I pounded a servo on the keys, then whimpered at a jolt of pain that went up a gash on my arm. "Soundwave must have reset the passcode on Megatron's orders." I tried a few ideas from what I thought he might have changed it to, but they were in vain. I growled in frustration, feeling humiliated that after all this time and effort, I was stopped by a pair of slagging doors.

"Hm," I said to myself, "I might as well give brute force a whirl…" I shoved the tips of my fingers into the seam where the doors met, and strained to pull them open. I planted my pedes firmly against the floor for leverage, and with agonizing slowness, I managed to pry the doors apart a few hard-won inches before being forced to stop, panting from the effort. My left servo burned where I had slipped in the acid. They were much heavier than I had anticipated, or I was much weaker from my wounds then I realized.

I started at the sound of Knock Out's pedes drawing closer. He called out to me on my comm again. I grit my denta, wedging my servos in the larger crack and pulled on the doors even harder. They didn't even budge an inch this time. Frag this idea.

I painfully transformed my servos into blasters and began firing incessantly at the doors' edges against the wall. The noise would draw any mech within hearing range to my location in minutes. I finally slowed my assault, seeing that the outside edges of the doors had become red-hot in under a minute. Surely the heat had fried the delicate circuitry that held them up and kept them operational. I fired a last shot into the keypad for good measure, and pushed the doors. They collapsed inward like a good gust of wind had blown them over. Transforming my blasters away, I strode in the room, eyeing the holes where the doors used to slide into. Yes, melted circuitry everywhere.

I slowly backed away from the doors and surveyed the room. The Forge of Solus Prime stood proudly in the center of the room. I might have been able to use it as a weapon if I could lift it.

A smirk graced my faceplates as my optics fell on the golden energon harvester, remembering when I–no, Starscream used it on Bulkhead. The thing was practically indestructible, after all, it was built to hold massive amounts of energon, an extremely volatile fuel. Explosions wouldn't put a dent in it. Breakdown must have retrieved it after the scuffle between the two of us and Bulkhead, the brute. I snatched it up, remembering at the last second that it was much heavier than it looked. It slipped out of my grasp, and I fumbled with it before it fell and crashed to the floor, causing it to activate straight at Knock Out, who had just walked into the room. Thank Primus I was still near the door.

"Move!" I shouted, and tackled him to the ground. But I was too slow, and the beam ended up hitting me square in my chest plate. My optics widened as they focused on the blue energon being sucked out of me, into the air and then to the harvester. I fell to my knees and vaguely noticed the medic getting up at the same time in the corner of my vision.

A second later I found myself on the floor, arms and legs splayed out as I struggled to intake. Knock Out relinquished his hold on my leg. "Now we're even."

"Not quite." I pushed myself up, shaking off the light-headedness the harvester had bestowed from taking my energon. "A few seconds more of that and I would have been a husk."

"I would have been a one handsome husk." The medic boasted. "Just look at this finish!"

"Yes, yes, and just look at that paint splatter." I brusquely motioned at his leg.

"Don't remind me." His faceplates darkened. "What were you even doing with the energon harvester anyway? Trying to lob it?"

"Maybe I was going to lob it at you," I muttered. I stumbled towards the energon harvester and he caught my arm, if only out of second nature. I pushed him away, reaching for it a second time. "Are you going to help me or just stand there?"

"You didn't say the magic word."

"Puh- _lease_." I spat.

He came over, holding it steady against the ground as I deactivated it. "What the frag is going on with you? You show up out of nowhere—and think you can just walk in, get knocked senseless, grab a relic, and walk out?!"

"Then help me," I snarled, "make a phony replica of the energon harvester before Megatron wakes up, and pretend you never saw me."

"A shame that our liege is already awake."

"WHAT?!" I shrieked and my wings flared up.

"If you'd let me finish–"

"–then you would learn that I won't survive another beating, good doctor!" I cut in, my voice raising to a shrill level.

"He's in the med bay, cuffed to a berth so he 'won't strain himself.'" The medic put on a mischievous smirk.

"What did you tell him of me?" I asked anxiously.

"Nothing yet, I got out of there as quickly as I could, that is, without arousing suspicion. I told him I had to go find you."

"And he believed it?"

"I lied like Airachnid." He flicked an imaginary speck off his armor.

"Don't insult yourself, doctor." I jested.

He chuckled, "We aren't called Decepticons without reason."

"Have you already forgotten that I defected?"

"'Defected' is a rather generous way of putting it, 'deserted' is more honest."

"And what do you know about honesty?" I quipped.

"You know, 'defected' works too," the red mech added as an afterthought.

My wings flicked in annoyance, "You always have to put in the last word, don't you?"

"Maybe." He smirked.

I huffed. "This does sort-of raise the question…" I trailed off, lost in a tangle of my thoughts. He looked at me expectantly. "why did you unlock my cell door in the first place? We both know it was only partly so I could get repairs. I'd like to hear the other reason before you leave this room."

"Mhm, and how will you stop me from leaving if I don't want to tell you?"

I tapped a finger against the energon harvester. "I have my ways."

"Are you threatening me with _that_? After I saved your metal?" He exclaimed.

"Not until after I saved yours." I pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Because you clumsily dropped an Iacon relic!"

"Are you going to help me leave or not? I'm still your superior, keep in mind that I can order you to if need be."

"Last I checked you defected, did you not? Not to add that Megatron relieved you of your command." Curse Knock Out's fast processor.

"He did WHAT! The fragging–he _needs_ me! I am his air commander! He cannot simply replace _me_!"

The medic chuckled at my indignation. "I'll humor you, _after_ you get some repairs. I mean, just look at you!" He was right, a few of the gashes had reopened and were now leaking energon. The paint and some of my metal had been chemically burned off my left servo. I could feel a fist-shaped dent on my lower faceplates where Megatron had delivered his first blow during our fight. That last word send a thrill of satisfaction shooting through my spark as I remembered my minor victory over the warlord. And to add to my ever-growing list of injuries, my entire chassis was sore from the ordeal of this past day. I swayed on my pedes as all my afflictions came to the front of my processor, and I was exhausted to boot. My wings drooped, feeling as if they had suddenly been filled with lead.

I readjusted my grip on the harvester, making sure it wouldn't slip out of my grasp again. "Never mind that, I need to leave. I do think I have made that clear enough." I made to walk out the door, but stumbled and tripped over my own pedes. The medic saw this and rushed over, steadying me.

"You're not leaving until you get some much-needed repairs, unless you want to offline while you're flying!"

My wings fluttered in annoyance. "You didn't answer my first question."

He huffed. "If you must know, I _did_ want to help you, but also counted on a show."

"How thoughtful of you." I replied sarcastically. "Then again, repairs don't sound too bad right now," I grudgingly admitted, "but how will you be able to patch me up with Megatron in the same room and the 'minor' detail that he presumes me dead?"

"I guess I'll have to discharge him." Knock Out growled.

I shuttered my optics, trying to think of a solution. "Why do you insist on helping me?"

"Why are you in such a rush?" He shot back.

"Because the longer I remain aboard this ship, the more likely it is that someone will be altered to my presence."

"Do I not count as 'someone'?"

I rolled my optics, "You know what I mean."

* * *

We arrived outside the med bay a couple minutes later. "Now how do we get you in?" Knock Out prodded.

I examined the door shrewdly. There were no places for me to hide in this hallway, save for behind the medic, which wouldn't work too well.

"Why not keep up the act?" I finally offered.

"Ooh, I know what you're thinking," he smirked, "you play dead while I get him to leave the room."

"Exactly. You could drag me by my pedes, explaining to Megatron how you are disposing of my chassis." I clarified, the idea already formed in my processor. "But if there's any other way, I'd love to hear it."

"No one told you to fly up onto this ship, so you did bring this upon yourself. I hope you didn't expect this to be full of sunshine, ponies, and happy endings." He pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest plate.

"As a matter of fact, I _was_ told to come aboard…" I muttered beneath my vocalizer, looking away.

"What?" he asked accusingly.

"Uh, nothing. I-I was just voicing my thoughts." I tucked the energon harvester into the bottom of my cockpit, well out of sight from prying optics. I whimpered quietly as it drove a few shards of glass deeper into my wiring. Unfortunately for me, there was no better place to hide it.

Knock Out cast a sideways glance at me before proceeding to enter the code into the keypad to open the door. I shuttered my optics, lying limp on the floor. I rested my helm on one of my large shoulder plates to keep from being jarred as the medic walked.

I felt a change in the air on my wings as the doors opened, and Knock Out grabbed my pedes. "I'm going to end up stabbing myself on these heels!" He whined, and I suppressed a smirk.

"Why, Knock Out, what might you be doing with our former commander's chassis?" Megatron rumbled from the other end of the room. He hadn't even bothered to use my designation, as if I was equal in status to that of a mere drone! I bit my glossa, staying silent was already proving to be much more difficult than I had anticipated.

"I'm about to prep it for the smelting pool, siphoning off his energon and the like. We wouldn't want an explosion to deal with on top of a fallen comrade," the medic lied smoothly.

"He died a traitor; 'comrade' could not fit less." Megatron countered balefully.

"Of course. Forgive me, my liege." The medic grunted as he pulled me along the floor, "He's heavier than he looks." I could feel the warlord's optics boring into me, scrutinizing every detail of my mangled frame. I resisted the urge to squirm underneath his glare. "I found him near the main deck, he must have been trying to escape when he succumbed to his wounds."

"Escape to where?" Megatron wondered.

"Who knows? We can't exactly ask him." Really, Knock Out? "Who knows?" Was that all I was going to get? Not even an attempt at a eulogy?

I was jerked away from my thoughts as the tip of my wing snagged on a the side of a berth, and Knock Out let go of my legs. I let them fall limply to the floor. At least the warlord was unaware of the fact that I was using half of the _Harbinger_ as a base. Or that Starscream and I were affiliated with a pair of noisy, smelly humans. The lines became more and more blurred the harder I looked at them. I couldn't even tell if that was a good thing or not.

"Get him on a med berth, I want you to confirm that he is, in fact, offline. We wouldn't want to smelt a spark that still beats." Like he meant that. His tone was a calm mask over an ulterior threat, meaning if Knock Out was being deceitful, he would terminate us both.

"But I've already checked his vitals, I can assure you–" the red mech protested.

"I would like to see for myself, doctor." The warlord's tone brimmed with venom.

Knock Out sighed, "Alright, I'll hook him up to a spark monitor, if only to humor you, my Lord."

 _Knock Out, you–you slagging traitor!_ I thought, but stayed limp and let him drag me onto the berth, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. I felt as he hooked a cable up to my chest plate, one presumably attached to the spark monitor.

"I see." The warlord rumbled. I couldn't stand this anymore. I cracked an optic open, straining to make out the monitor's signal. The line was as flat as the screen on which it was shown. How had Knock Out tricked it? Then I noticed the power cord was unplugged from the wall. I almost laughed out loud, and shuttered my optic again as Knock Out stepped in front of it.

I heard a few bleeps from a console. "Your systems, on the other hand, are fine." I heard Megatron's cuffs deactivate, "You're free to go."

"Knock Out, next time you discharge me, do not make it sound like I was a prisoner." Megatron warned, and stepped off the berth.

"Hopefully there won't be a next time." The medic added. I could almost taste the double meaning in his words: "The next time you find yourself strapped to a berth in this room again, you won't be leaving online."

"Is that so." Megatron replied before walking out of the room, leaving us to wonder what he had meant. The doors slid shut behind him. The medic immediately put it on lockdown mode.

"Now we're in the clear." He said as I opened my optics and tore the spark monitor off my chest plate.

"Never, _never_ make me do that again." I sat up, flapping my wings to get some of the dirt and dust to fly off them from being dragged across the floor on my back.

He chuckled, grabbing his rotary buffer and a welder. "Boy, I am going to spoil you!" He angled the buffer, examining it from every angle as it caught the light.

"Just patch me up and then you can keep praying to it." I growled.

He lowered it to glare at me. "Blasphemy! Don't make me solder your mouth shut."

"Ooh, touchy, aren't we?" I smirked. He huffed, coming over to me and putting the welder—which by now was on—right up to my faceplates. "No! I take it back! Don't weld my mo–"

"Shut up and stay still!" He hissed, grabbing the sides of my helm. The welder crept up near my mouth, I watched it with wide optics. I tried to squirm away, feeling it sear my metal at a corner of my mouth. He tightened his grip and slowly moved it downward, sealing up a cut that I hadn't even realized existed. I sagged against the berth in relief as he pulled it away.

"Thanks." I muttered dryly.

He proceeded to work on my other injuries, applying a new coat of paint to my left servo and buffing it, of course, removing the dent in my jaw. He grabbed a pair of long, wicked-looking tweezers off the table. "Take the harvester out."

"What? Ah, yes, that." I had momentarily forgotten that it was stuffed in the bottom of my cockpit. I gently removed it and set it on the floor as if it was a bomb waiting to go off.

He leaned in close with the tweezers, looking for shards of glass. "I see a couple, can you pass me the flashlight?"

"Where is it?" I swung my helm around, then spotted it slightly behind me on the table under a mess of overturned empty flasks and beakers from the fight. "Never mind." I handed it to him, and he flicked it on.

"Ooh, that has to hurt." He was nearly poking his helm inside the opening now.

"What?!" I snapped nervously.

"There's a small pool of energon in the bottom, and I see four shards pushed in pretty deep."

"Fantastic." I groaned, and let my helm fall back against the berth. However, he managed to pull the first three shards out easily enough, eliciting a couple gasps on my part.

"This last one's wedged in there deeper than the others." He pointed out, gesturing at it with the tweezers.

"I can feel it." I winced as they brushed the shard.

He glanced up, "Say, do you think you'd ever want to get a new paint job? Silver is nice, but after a while it just gets so drab. It went out of style quite a while ago."

His question took me completely off guard. "No, not rea–AUGH!" He jerked the last shard of glass out of my cockpit and dropped it into a tray. It was entirely blue. "Why would… you… do that?!" I snarled, spitting curses between gritted denta.

"Because it's easy, like jumping into freezing water."

"That would not be easy." I pointed out, "Brr, your joints locking up, wiring freezing… no thank you." I shuddered at the thought.

"Pfft! I thought only sparklings would be afraid of water!" He taunted. "Pass me the welder, would you?"

I grabbed it off the floor and tossed it at his chest plate. He snatched it out of the air. "Who said I'm afraid of water?" He turned it on again and shoved it into my cockpit, sealing the hole. I yelped, "Didn't I tell you to warn me!?"

"And suck all the joy out of this?" He glanced up to see my glowering faceplates for a second before resuming his torture.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

"Mmm, 'kay. Wait, here's another one." He welded another hole shut.

I winced, "At least you warned me, _good_ doctor."

He smirked, and moved to a third without announcing it. I growled quietly.

* * *

"Done and done." He rubbed a smudge off the new glass of my cockpit with a cloth. "Wait, as long as you're in here, you should consider upgrading your weapons."

"What's wrong with them?" I snapped, transforming my servos into blasters and scrutinized them for flaws.

"They're not the… latest model, and you can get so many new toys!" He pulled up a few diagrams of newer models on a screen: blasters that had coolant pumped through them so you could fire rapidly for an extended time and not worry about your servos melting off; diamond-edged circular saws; an assortment of swords and maces; I even saw one that would transform one's arms together into a powerful electro-pulse cannon, also capable of shooting plasma and incendiary grenades.

I rolled my optics and made a derisive noise, "No thanks! I like my weapons, they're reliable."

"Aww come on, if Megatron saw you with a huge mace or a cannon he'd run the other way!"

"Do I look like I could use a mace or even a cannon to you?"

His optics slid over my slender frame. "True. But some of these swords are just–"

"If I wanted a sword, I would ask, believe me. We are done talking." I made to leave and scooped the energon harvester up off the ground where I had left it.

"Nuh-uh-uh, we are _not_ done talking. You know, you never did answer my first question."

"And remind me what that was…" I trailed off.

"Whose ground bridge did you toss the shrink ray into?"

 _Scrap._ I flitted my wings, trying not to balk. "Um, mine?"

"Have you sided with the 'Bots?" he pressed, optics narrowing astutely.

"Do you understand the meaning of the word 'no'?" I hefted the harvester and made to leave the room once again.

"Then why do you need the energon harvester, of all things? Why not take, say, the Forge of Solus Prime instead? That'd be pretty useful for Optimus and your Autobot buddies."

"Did I not make it clear enough that I am _not_ sided with them?! I haven't even laid optics on them since Megatron shot me with the–" Close, way too close. I winced, having already said too much. My wings drooped.

"Since the Big 'M' shot you with what?"

"Uh, his fusion cannon, of course! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to leave before Megatron finds out that I am very much online!" I reminded him shrilly.

He grabbed my arm roughly. "I saved your function, if you haven't noticed! You owe me some answers!"

"Go get answers from someone else." I spat. And with that, I transformed and shot out of the room with a blast of heat.

"Well, he does know how to make an exit," the drag race enthusiast muttered before I was out of earshot. I heard him transform and the roar of his engine as he hurtled after me. _Good luck with that_ , I thought. A car versus a jet? No chance in this universe.

* * *

A second later, I transformed, remembering that I was trying to be stealthy. Whoops. But I was more worried about the medic, hopefully I had shaken him off my tail.

I reached the main deck a moment later, activating a bridge. I was bathed in the familiar green glow, its exit a couple miles above Los Angeles, far from my half of the _Harbinger_ , but not on the other side of the continent like this ship is. Besides, I could use the long flight to chew Starscream out over how this was a "good idea."

It put me on edge that the room was deserted; Soundwave, some Vehicons or even Megatron himself usually occupied the space.

"Starscream!" Megatron's voice boomed in surprise from the doorway I had so carelessly left open. I sneered and leapt through the bridge.


	12. 11 - Los Angeles

XI - Los Angeles

I flew like a rock. My grip tightened around the energon harvester as I rapidly gained momentum, and flipped onto my back. Megatron materialized out of the ground bridge a few hundred meters above me. A real shame that I wasn't able to close it.

His voice was torn away by the wind, but I was pretty confident he was hollering at me at the top of his vocalizer.

Then he transformed, arcing down even faster towards me. The warlord opened fire and shots whizzed past my helm as I transformed around the harvester, my engine screaming to life as I took advantage of my momentum. I blasted upwards, curving in a flawless arc until I was flying straight up. _This could very well have been a recreational flight_ , I thought as I executed a couple tight corkscrews to dodge the red plasma.

I transformed again, twisting in midair as I launched over him. I fired a stream of red plasma at his fuselage, all of them missing. And I also missed the aftermath as I began plummeting down towards the glowing city of Los Angeles once again.

I looked down and gasped, being way too close to the buildings for comfort. I must have miscalculated the altitude when I entered the coordinates into the bridge. That was an error I could pay for with my spark. I transformed yet again, pushing my thruster to slow my fall as I drew nearer and nearer to becoming a heap of scrap on the roof of an office building.

My engine was overheating. "AUGH! Come on!" I panted, snarling at myself. The hard roof was only a handful of meters away now.

I pitched my nose cone down, now just barely skimming above the building with mere inches to spare. Too close. I saw puny humans stopping and gawking up at me on the streets in a familiar fashion to New York. I wasn't about to admire this city's architecture, however; it looked slapped together, as it sprawled further out in the distance buildings and streets seemed to have been plopped down each as an afterthought, one after another.

The daylight was fading fast, the sun now just a gritty smudge of yellow on the horizon. To my north jutted a peninsula of mountains, stretching up to the impossible blue of the dusk sky and commanding attention from the vast concrete jungle beneath them. It was a sight to behold. Apparently to all the humans gawking up at me, so was I.

But where was Megatron? He wasn't one for stealth so much as directly confronting his enemy. That did raise the question: Was I his enemy? It sure seemed so at the moment. Did he even know I held possession of the energon harvester? Maybe he was trying to amp up my paranoia. Because if that was his strategy, it was definitely working.

My questions evaporated as said mech suddenly dropped out of the sky to hover right in front of me, onlining his blasters. "I feel like I should say something meaningful," he said as I screeched to a halt a few meters in front of him in order not to crash. "But all that comes to mind is one thing."

"And what may that be, dare I ask?" I prodded, holding my intakes.

"It is quite apparent now that you were only feigning being offline, after our… _incident_. But now… I'd be quite surprised to find your spark still beating after what I am about to do to you."

I wasn't surprised. He was so close to me I could feel and see the heat shimmering in the air above his hull, my reflection in his gleaming armor. And then he rammed straight into me.

I wasn't expecting that, and hurtled out of the air like a meteor. The ground, buildings and sky blurred together as I spun nose cone-over-tail fins towards the ground. The world through my optics looked like it had been tossed into a blender turned on _liquefy_.

I finally managed to right myself, spinning a bit too quickly to face Megatron once again. The world tilted alarmingly and I ended up swerving towards a building. I banked left to avoid it–no, no the other left!

"Scrap!" I screeched.

The next thing I knew I was nose cone-to-face with a middle-aged human. Not to mention stuck partway inside a building on the second floor. He just stared at me—not even blinking.

I grimaced as shards of glass dug into my vents. I was about to reignite my engine, but then glimpsed the concrete above me. It was webbed with some serious fractures. If I tried to slip out, I would wind up being buried alive under Primus knew how many tons of concrete. Even dear Knock Out can't raise that much roof. And if Megatron shot at me again, he would for sure bring it down.

Frag stealth.

I had one option. I transformed, in front of the human, throwing caution to the wind. His eyes widened, taking a couple steps backwards. He splashed a lukewarm, brown drink from the mug he was holding (BEST BOSS EVER!) at my pedes—like it would do something. I would've laughed had my denta not been grit in concentration to keep the ceiling from collapsing. Then he threw it at me, it shattered at my pedes like the glass currently scraping against them. My servos were planted firmly on the ceiling while my pedes anchored to the floor. A crack widened, a few large chunks of concrete shifted above me. And then the human continued to just stare at me. He was really starting to tick me off by just standing there like someone had thrown his "OFF" switch.

"Get out!" I hissed, and made the mistake of kicking at him. The ceiling crushed down even more more, raining chunks of concrete. Some were the size of my servos. I gulped at the thought of a bigger one catching me square in the helm. My knees buckled underneath the sudden shift of weight, and I fell to the floor, still holding the ceiling up. I shuddered, that was too close.

He didn't need to be told twice, booking it while screaming things along the lines of "GIANT ROBOT!"

 _Ha!_ I thought. But at least he moved. "Giant" to him, maybe, but at least _I_ wasn't six feet tall like my predecessor. Speaking of, I wondered if he had gotten the shrink ray to work yet. I remembered Starscream explaining to Oliver and Will—through his memories—that it hadn't even come with a name, only a set of coordinates in the Iacon database. But it was enough to make all bots jump at the opportunity, who doesn't like a surprise, wrapped in a mystery? No one knew what it was until I–erm, Starscream, was the guinea pig.

A hot wind blew in through the open window, more like hole in the wall now, covering me in a flurry of dust. I coughed, trying to clear my intakes. Megatron appeared, still in his alt mode, hovering in the air just in front of the opening I had tore into the building.

"Took you long enough." I muttered.

He pretended to not hear me. "How would you like to die?" He asked in the same way one would comment on the weather. His gladiatorial sword slid out of its sheath in his arm, fusion cannon powering up.

"If I have a choice, I'd rather not." I replied cooly. But my arms were already starting to shake from the strain.

"Unfortunately for you, you do not."

My entire chassis was full-on quaking now—and maybe not just from the building I was propping up. I wondered if I could let go of the roof and jet outside, bringing the building down on top of Megatron. I grimaced. There were too many ifs. _If_ he caught me before I could get out, _if_ I couldn't escape in time, _if_ he just shot me where I stood, really, the possibilities were endless.

He pointed his fusion cannon at me. Its center was like an optic, a swirling, pulsing, purple ball of energy that would hit home right in the center of my chest plate; glaring at me.

And then it shut off as if an invisible switch had been thrown. Megatron swung his helm around, casting a glare down at the street. Then he spun around to face me again, growling into my faceplates.

"You and I are not finished talking." I couldn't even moan in reply, but my wings fell flat against my back.

A gleaming red semi truck turned onto our street, followed by a yellow muscle car with twin vertical black stripes, a green muscle car that you almost could've called a tank, and a sporty blue motorcycle with a leather-clad rider.

"Well, if it isn't the Autobots." Megatron leapt off my building onto the sidewalk, cracking it in several places. Another piece of ceiling fell, turning a polished office desk into mulch. The humans below scattered, screaming their heads off. How pathetic. I could hardly believe none of them had seen us, but there you go. Oblivious as ever. We were above them, and everything goes over humans' heads.

I strained to hear the bots' conversation over the din, "We will not fight you where innocent lives can be lost." Optimus Prime announced.

Bumblebee beeped in agreement, [Let's take this outside!]

Apparently Bulkhead noticed me. "What!? Starscream! What's he doin' up there?" It's nearly impossible to tell with them in their alt modes, but I could feel all their optics drilling into me. I couldn't so much as snarl at them. Megatron didn't even glance up, waving offhandedly in my general direction. "Oh, he's not going anywhere."

"Who cares? It looks like that building's about to come down on top of him." Arcee pointed out apathetically, as if noting that it looked like rain.

I tried to snap "Just leave me be!" but all that came out was a quiet groan.

"Optimus, should we do something?" The green car asked reluctantly.

"I say we leave him there, it's one less set of guns pointed at us." Arcee broke in again, flashing her headlights.

"We must focus our efforts on Megatron for the time being." Optimus replied.

Said mech sneered, spreading his arms. "By all means, 'focus your efforts' upon me." His double-edged gladiatorial sword shone wickedly in the light of the streetlamps.

But they didn't. The street was deserted now, save for the Autobots and the Decepticon leader. All the humans had long since fled when they saw the warlord jump out of my collapsing building. _Why did it have to be one of the tallest skyscrapers in this city?!_ I thought angrily.

It struck me that the 'Bots would possibly save me if they knew I currently had the energon harvester in my possession. But I had no means of contacting them, especially with Megatron nearby. I hoped that they might dispatch him, but quickly pushed the thought aside. I'd seen the warlord in battle so many times that I couldn't possibly count over the past few millennia to know that the only one of those four bots stood a chance.

"It could be a trap." The femme muttered, "There could be droves of Vehicons behind the buildings—or Starscream could be pretending." I was infuriated at this. _Do I look like I'm pretending!?_ And if I was, certainly wouldn't I have flown down and joined him by now? Rage coursed through my entire chassis. I slowly pushed the crumbling building up until I was standing, shaking now from anger instead of strain. None of them appeared to notice.

"You may be right, Arcee. I find it unlikely, but not impossible to be a trap." Optimus agreed. "Megatron, we do not want fight you in this city where human lives are at risk." He addressed the warlord firmly, as if commanding him.

"Then let me thank you in advance for making this easier." The silver mech jeered, and opened fire on them.

The Autobots split off, narrowly dodging the purple plasma. Arcee with Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Optimus, gunning their engines opposite ways down the street. Then they all swung around in perfect synchronization, transforming into their bipedal modes. Megatron now found himself caught between four pairs of blasters.

"Engage Megatron!" Optimus roared, opening fire on his nemesis.

Bulkhead was skeptical, "But you said–"

"Now!" The Prime commanded, and the rest fell into offensive positions. The warlord crouched, their shots hurtled just millimeters over his helm and back at each other. Optimus, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee sprang out of the way as they saw them coming, but Arcee wasn't as lucky. The shot wedded her shoulder plate and she fell, but had already begun to rise, unfazed.

Bumblebee beeped worriedly, rushing over to help her. Megatron returned his attention to Optimus and Bulkhead, who had charged at him while his attention was directed at Arcee. The Prime had already transformed out his sword, and it connected with Megatron's in a flurry of sparks. The other three bots stood back to watch as the two fought for the upper hand.

"C'mon Optimus…" I heard Bulkhead mutter.

With a roar, the Prime threw off Megatron's sword. The silver mech assumed a more defensive posture as he braced for another attack.

The pair traded blows—Optimus landed a heavy one on Megatron's left arm, while the other kicked the Prime's legs out from beneath him. I was mildly surprised that Optimus hadn't foreseen that dirty move coming. He fell forward, but grabbed the warlord's wrist at the same time and used his momentum to drag the grey mech down with him. He kicked out a pede at the last possible second, and Megatron fell flat onto his faceplates.

I realized I was grinning and put on a stoic expression in case any of the Autobots dared look up.

* * *

A second later, Megatron and Optimus were both on their pedes, swords sheathed but looking ready to tear the other's helm off. They tensed as if to launch back into combat once again, but a sudden, loud groan of metal made them stop. The building Seven—whom they thought was Starscream—was supporting crumbled down on top of the Seeker. He screamed and his terrified scarlet optics vanished behind a chunk of concrete and a massive plume of grey dust erupted from the wreck. The building, a formerly formidable skyscraper in height, now was reduced to a pile of rubble on the edge of the street.

When the Autobots turned back to Megatron, the heel of his pede vanished through a ground bridge.

"He just up and left Starscream?" Arcee exclaimed skeptically.

"The mech's such a pain in the aft, I'm surprised he didn't sooner." Bulkhead huffed.

[Optimus, do you think he survived that?] Bumblebee pointed at the wreckage.

"There is only one way to find out," the Prime replied with a stoic expression. The three followed behind him, preparing themselves for every scenario they could think of. It wouldn't be pretty if the Seeker had gotten flattened; but, in their opinion, it'd be worse if he was alive.

* * *

 _Minutes ago…_

Optimus and Megatron looked ready to launch back into battle, but my vision was suddenly obscured by massive chunks of falling concrete and whatever dumb human objects happened to be upstairs. The building was finally coming down. I cried out, falling to my knees again and desperately trying to keep what was left of the roof from caving in on me. But everyone had limits, and I was just pushed over the edge. My arms stopped functioning at once, and the concrete jungle rained down around me.

I cautiously uncovered my optics once crash after crash of the rubble ceased. I was sealed inside a tomb. Except I wasn't offline—not yet at least. But I might as well have been. The rubble had landed precariously in such a way that it had left a small pocket, barely enough room for me to move in. But miraculously none of me had been crushed—aside from my spirits.

The only source of light in this room was a dim red light, coming from my glowing optics. I slid off my knees, the tip of the spike on my helm glanced off the ceiling and my pedes clacked against the wall. I unconsciously lowered my wings as they too scraped the ceiling. Claustrophobia began to set in like a sickness. Seeker programming made one long for open skies and spaces, and on the flip side, loathe confined ones. Some had actually lost their sanity from being trapped in a tight space for too long. I prayed to Primus that I wouldn't be the next bot for that to happen to.

I tried digging at some smaller boulders, futilely seeing if I could loosen some of the chunks of concrete. Nothing interesting happened, save for my right servo glancing off a jagged piece of metal—a rod from the building's framework. I cursed myself for my stupidity, what if I'd cut a major energon line in my arm? At least I wasn't injured. Nonetheless, I could call for help, but who would hear me? Primus knew how deep I was buried.

"Hello? Is anyone out there that can dig me out of this infernal prison?! Hello—?!" I pressed my faceplates against a crack, desperately searching with one optic for something, _anything_ other than rubble and twisted metal beams. I banged a fist against a massive chunk of concrete. "Frag it, Autobots, I swear to Primus if you're ignoring me–" The ceiling split in two, showering me with debris. I instinctively raised my arms to protect my faceplates from concrete chunks.

I could see the spray of stars across the inky night sky. Without thinking, I lunged upward, only thinking to escape. But I couldn't get out, and my little claustrophobic room was too small for me to transform without breaking something.

I almost panicked, but then a massive shadow blotted out the sky. I shrank away against the wall, thinking Megatron had come to finish the job.

The figure silently extended a servo. I eyed it warily, then reached up and grasped it, heaving myself up and out of the prison right as the rest of the ceiling came down. My foothold crumbled away, and I started to lose my grip on the other mech. He pulled hard and we both stumbled away from the opening.

"Uh, thank y–" I was cut short by a pair of bright blue optics that seemed to stare into my very spark. I jerked my servo away out of surprise and fear.

A shroud of clouds hiding the moon blew away, and in the brighter light, I found myself staring straight into the last pair of optics I'd ever want to see, exempting Megatron.

"You are welcome, Starscream." Optimus Prime rumbled.


	13. 12 - Their Base of All Places

**A/N: I'm kidding myself. There's no way I would be able to hold off uploading these chapters slowly, and besides, it was on this site already, as I've seen a few people bring up. I wrote this story so people could** _read_ **it, you don't have to** _like_ **it, but heck, it's better than collecting virtual dust bunnies on my computer. I wrote this to be a rollercoaster; with lots of highs and lows. I don't know about you, but I've never ridden a roller coaster to get on it for a short time, then off and wait for the rest of the track to be built. So, here comes the whole roller coaster.** **My willpower held out until chapter 12. 57 to go. Yay me. *sarcastic clapping***

* * *

XII - Their Base of All Places

Like an idiot, the first thing I said was "How did you get up here?"

"Look," he answered in a placid tone. So I did. The entire building had come down, it was an utter miracle that I had survived at all. We stood only a few meters above the street.

"I should be scrapped." I murmured, the Prime didn't add anything. "Hold on, where is Megatron?" I asked anxiously, swinging my helm around.

"Ol' Bucket Head bridged away at the last second." Bulkhead answered gruffly. "Seems he didn't care much whether you lived or died."

"I wasn't asking you," I snapped nervously.

The Autobots appeared to be unscathed, save for Arcee's shoulder. And they all were slowly closing in on me, not exactly menacingly, but didn't look as if they wanted me to leave just yet. I took a couple steps backwards, opening my comm frequency. "Lock onto my coordinates and send in a bridge!" I yelped, feeling more claustrophobic than when I was trapped in the rubble beneath my pedes.

"Augh, Seven! I was trying to catch a bit of recharge!" Starscream replied indignantly a second later. I could tell that he did sound a bit drained.

"The humans getting to you?" I snickered.

"Oh, please don't remind me of them!" He moaned. I was about to reply, but cut myself off, abruptly remembering where I was and whom I was facing.

[Who's he talking to?] Bumblebee beeped, as if Optimus knew.

"I–I need to go." I stuttered.

"Ha! You aren't going anywhere other than with us!" Bulkhead announced.

"What?! Optimus, he can't come back to the base! He's the SIC of the Decepticons, we'd be bringing all of them right to our doorstep!" The two-wheeler growled.

"Was." I muttered, wings drooping slightly.

"What do you mean 'was'?" she snapped, stepping up to me.

"Meaning I'm flying solo." Speaking of… I jumped, transforming and ignited my thruster, but Optimus firmly grabbed my right wing. He applied the precise amount of pressure of which I couldn't escape without badly damaging my wing, but wasn't hurting me for the moment.

"Unhand me!" I barked, but it would've been a bit more authoritative if my voice hadn't quavered.

His reply was short and simple, but had the same effect as physical blow. "No."

I transformed back into my bipedal mode—the Prime had freed my wing a second before. I fluttered them in irritation. "If you aren't letting me leave, then where are you hoping to take me?" I spat.

"We aren't taking him anywhere." Arcee emphasized.

"We may not have to take him anywhere." Optimus' blue optics seemed to read right through me, even as he addressed his fellow comrades. "Starscream." Now focusing on me again, "I will appeal to you again: join us in protecting humanity and this planet from Megatron's wrath."

"Not this again," I huffed. "My answer hasn't changed, even since you saved my metal. Which I'm still trying to process." I admitted.

"Are you still here as long as I'm awake?" Starscream commed. I had accidentally left the link open.

"Not the best timing." I hissed at both of them.

"Is it ever?" He laughed bitterly.

"Would you care to tell us why?" Optimus asked.

"No way, Optimus! We aren't going to let this slimeball try to join us; we'd end up with blades lodged between our spinal struts!" Bulkhead protested.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." I replied haughtily, scowling at the brute. Primus, keeping two conversations going at the same time was beyond difficult.

"Still want that bridge?" My wingless, human-sized double prodded sarcastically.

"Bulkhead, if we are to truly give Starscream the benefit of the doubt, we must remove our own doubts first." Optimus said.

"Of course!" I replied a bit too loudly—but it was only directed at Starscream. All optics locked onto mine. I hastily closed the comm frequency. "I mean, no!" Bulkhead and Arcee traded confused and exasperated looks.

"I am beginning to doubt your resolve, Starscream. Are you sure this is what you wish for?" Optimus pressed.

"Are you questioning my sanity?" I retorted hotly.

"What sanity?" Bulkhead muttered.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that either." I snarled at him through gritted denta, not meaning it in the slightest.

He transformed out his spiked wrecking ball, "You won't need to pretend." the green mech started towards me. I skittered backwards and fell against Optimus.

"Bulkhead, no." But I detected a "not yet" hidden inside his tone as well, however. He pulled my quivering chassis up off him and to my pedes where I watched the Wrecker warily through narrowed optics.

"We've got a lot of work on our servos, just look at him!" Bulkhead exclaimed, blatantly gesturing at me. He didn't transform his mace away, however. I willed myself to stop shaking, letting my wings bounce back into their upright position.

A ground bridge spiraled into existence not twenty feet in front of me. I cast a sideways glance at Optimus—who had lunged for me. I sprang forwards, feeling the Prime hot on my tail.

[You'd think he couldn't run that fast with those heels!] Bumblebee exclaimed from a distance behind me. I would've chuckled had the situation not been so dire.

And then naturally Optimus grabbed me and I lost my balance. I groaned, "Fine, you win." The Prime stared down at me, an expression I couldn't read on his faceplates. Then he extended a servo again.

"What!" Arcee snapped. "Optimus, you can't–"

"Starscream, submit." He ordered.

I huffed, "I thought I just did."

"Could be a trick," Bulkhead muttered, raising his mace slightly.

"Just because it could be doesn't mean it is!" I snapped at him.

"Not in your case," Arcee added spitefully, giving me a withering look.

Optimus stepped forward, "You will accompany us to our base, and we will use force if it is imperative. Is that understood?" he commanded, all business.

I wasn't intimidated. "Oh, so does this make me your prisoner?"

The Prime looked back at his companions. "If it comes to that point, then yes. But you will be our guest for the time being."

"If you think I'm going to come quietly, you are sorely wrong." I hissed, backing away from them. Starscream's ground bridge closed and my optics widened. _He just left me here!_ I raised my missiles at the Autobots, fuming. But then I realized Bulkhead was missing, with a pang of fear. "Whe–"

Everything became very dark after that.

* * *

"You… l… n't…"

"Sh… no… check… t…"

"Processor… ave… spiking… maybe… ut… it?"

"I am the great Starscream conqueror! The big, bad 'Con commander's fallen to a mighty human! Quick, Raf, take some _snaps_!" A voice exclaimed excitedly. My processor was sluggish and I left my optics offline, but it felt like there was a small weight on my chest plate. Primus, did my helm ever ache. Somewhere to the back… like tiny little hammers were pounding their heads into it.

"Miko, get off of him! Who knows what he'll do if he wakes up…" another, deeper voice trailed off, sounding worried.

"What could he do? He's cuffed to a table, surrounded by a bunch of strong bots like you, Bulk!"

Her words took a moment to register in my processor, but once it did, I started and my optics flew open. I was strapped to a berth in the Autobots' base and Miko was standing on my chest plate, striking triumphant poses.

Bulkhead saw I was awake and hurriedly removed the human, giving me a glare as if daring me to try something. I stared up at him in terror, paralyzed.

My talons dug into the berth and I squeezed my optics shut, refusing to believe this was happening. My intakes descended into hysterical pants. _This can't be happening. This isn't happening. This isn't happening. They can't have captured me. Will they torture me for information? For sport? Starve me? Terminate me, even?!_

"Can't you sedate him?" Arcee's annoyed voice asked.

"I could do that," Ratchet mused, fussing with something on a table near me.

"P-please, no… what do you want?" I whimpered, forcing myself to take a few deep intakes and gradually felt the tension leave my frame, although I still remained uneasy.

Optimus plodded over, towering over me solemnly. "Starscream," he began, "is there anything you'd like to share with us?"

I remained glared up at him. "We both know I won't bite. Why not let me leave and get this over with?"

"Ha! Good one!" Bulkhead scoffed from somewhere behind the Prime.

Ratchet broke in, adopting a more serious tone. "Not until I'm sure your systems are functional and fully operational, and when we learn why you had the energon harvester in your possession!"

"I thought the thing blew sky high!" Bulkhead exclaimed, "You and I both saw the explosion of energon from that puppy! There's no way it could have survived!"

"We only saw the energon it was supposedly containing explode." I reasoned, my voice quavering. "The device itself is operational–which I learned through an instance I'd rather not repeat." I moaned.

"Ha! So he gets a taste of his own medicine and decides he doesn't like the flavor. How typical." Arcee accused, not even attempting to mask her disdain as she walked away.

"Why bother using your precious energon on helping me?" I asked Ratchet, choosing to ignore the femme's snide remark.

"You're much more likable when you're unconscious." He replied coldly.

"Knock Out says the same thing." I snarled. "And you dodged my question, _doctor_."

He looked over my helm as if he were naming all its components before answering. "I'm not at liberty to say."

"Can't or won't?" I prodded.

"Both," he said, "if I knew, why would I have reason to tell you, of all mechs?" He poked irritably at the screens in front of him.

"Hmm, could a reason be because I'M IN YOUR FRAGGING BASE?!" I shouted at him, my voice echoing off the walls of the silo.

"Don't make me sedate you." The medic warned.

"Ratchet," Optimus cautioned.

My optics darted over to an innocent-looking syringe lying on a table next to me. "You wouldn't." I growled.

"I might. It would certainly improve your volatile personality, or so I've heard."

"Who are you saying has a volatile personality?!" I snapped.

He rolled his optics. "Exactly."

"Can you two be quiet?" Arcee butted in. "We're trying to work over here."

"On what?" Ratchet asked as he typed away at his screen.

"On finding potential energon deposits, and maybe raiding a couple Decepticon mines later. The stuff's been pretty scarce around here lately. And now we have another mouth to fill." She glared over her shoulder plate at me.

"I heard that," I huffed.

"So? Didn't you say–what, that you were _flying solo_? Why should you care if we raid a 'Con mine?"

"Ah, yes. But _I_ was the leader of an elite unit of energon Seekers back on Cybertron." I boasted.

"Really?" That drew her up short, but she regained her cool in under a second. "I can't believe I'm saying this… but did you just offer to help us?"

I opened my mouth to shout "of course not!" but clamped it shut as Ratchet menacingly hovered over my faceplates.

The medic grabbed a tool off the desk. "Look at me." He ordered, more or less halting our conversation.

"What–why?" I asked nervously.

"A few scans on your processor revealed that your optics might have been damaged." He said as he shined a bright light in my right optic.

I squinted against the harsh light. "I can see just fine! If I was not cuffed to this infernal berth right now, you would be lacking your servo!"

"Then I'll make sure to keep the cuffs on." he replied swiftly, "Optic contraction is normal." He swung the flashlight over to my left.

I squinted up at Optimus, who towered above me, arms crossed stoutly over his chest plate. "You aren't going to let him do this to me!" I cried. "This is—this is pure kleptocracy!"

"I am afraid that we have no other choice." he answered firmly.

"Stay still!" Ratchet barked, jerking my helm back to face him. I saw, infuriatingly, that he was smirking.

"I am well aware of how sharp my talons are, and I promise not to use them on any of you." I hissed at him.

Bulkhead let out a humorless laugh, "Yeah, and we all know what your word is worth!" I sank lower on the berth, only to have the medic jerk me back up again.

"Really, I swear! Let me off this accursed berth, I'm fine!" I protested resentfully, feeling helpless.

"You're fine? That's a relief, I thought for sure I was leaking lubricant." Arcee drawled sarcastically.

"How's the shoulder, Arcee?" I smirked.

"Better than your faceplates will be if you don't shut up."

"Arcee." Optimus chided. She looked away, reluctantly accepting defeat. He entered a couple codes on a console that removed my cuffs. I sat up eagerly, grinning and rubbing my wrists. My optics darted over to the ground bridge control station. If I could somehow make it over there and activate one…

"Optimus, is it really wise to–" Ratchet began to say as the Prime looked up from the console. He produced a set of cuffs from seemingly out of nowhere. I closed my optics, begrudgingly holding out my wrists out as my wings drooped.

"Ratchet, see to it that we may have a wing clamp made for him as well."

"I'll see what I can do." The old bot answered.

The words "wing clamp" reverberated through my helm. "No! Not a clamp! I promise not to fly away!" I choked out, fluttering my wings for emphasis as Optimus snapped the new cuffs closed around my wrists. I jerked them away the moment they were fastened on.

[Remember what Bulk said?] Bumblebee chirped.

I sighed loudly in reply. Then a siren went off, followed by a flashing green light.

"What is that?!" I squealed.

"Proximity sensor." Optimus explained as the other boys rushed over to the screen to see who—or what was knocking on our door.

"It's Agent Fowler." Arcee announced.

"This should be interesting," Bulkhead huffed.


	14. 13 - Their Base of All Places II

XIII - Their Base of All Places II

"What are we going to do with _him_?" The motorcycle asked bluntly.

" _He_ has a name!" I protested, but her attention was already directed elsewhere. And that "elsewhere" was Optimus Prime.

"Taking into account how Starscream tortured Agent Fowler, it is best to not let them meet again." Optimus stated. All of them but him looked at me with mixtures of disgust and loathing on their faceplates. I "remembered" that instance as if it had happened yesterday. _As I suspected; energon and human nervous systems don't mix._

"He's just a human!" I seethed defensively.

"And you're just our prisoner, so let us do the talking. Or better yet, we could take you to the brig." She motioned with her helm down a corridor that faded into blackness, looking at Optimus for approval. That stung.

"I'm afraid there isn't enough time, Arcee." Prime stepped in front of the berth, shielding me from view. Bulkhead's large backside joined him a moment later.

"Your designation suits you perfectly, _Bulk_ head." I hissed.

"So does yours, _Screamy_." he shot back quietly.

"Seven is more apropos," I grumbled beneath my vocalizer, so quietly they couldn't hope to hear it, thinking of the five other protoforms and my double.

[Shh, you two!] The yellow scout whirred.

I felt a minute change in the air as the famed Agent Fowler stepped into the base. The elevator doors clanged shut behind him.

"Prime! I thought you said the 'Cons were under control! But there were sightings of an F-16 circling the Empire State, and it–he attacked two military jets in _our_ airspace over the Atlantic! Not to mention he caused tens of thousands of damage to a skyscraper in LA, and those are _my_ tax dollars! This isn't what 'handling' means on Earth!" the human fumed. "The Pentagon is ready to tear your operation here apart! And I don't mean just this base, but in America altogether!" he snapped. "Some of my superiors thought it was an Afghan scout and I had to handle the situation, hear me! So what does the crazed 'Con want with the Big Apple?!"

Bulkhead shifted a slight bit in front of me, I saw Agent Fowler gripping the railing of the elevated platform in fury for a nanosecond.

"Special Agent Fowler, please calm yourself. The situation is under control." Optimus reasoned, calmly accepting the new information.

"Oh yeah, how? Last time I checked, none of you can fly. And which 'Con was that? Because it certainly wasn't Megatron. I need answers, Prime!"

"No, Megatron does not transform into one of your terrestrial vehicles." Optimus agreed. "It was Starscream."

"What? No one's seen hide or hair from him in weeks! Well, other than your last battle–Megatron shot him with that relic, didn't he?"

"Yes," came the calm reply.

"Then maybe that blew a few circuits in that messed-up head of his. What's his game? Trying to take out two military aircraft without any provocation? Does that wing nut _want_ us on his tail?!"

"I find that unlikely," Ratchet glanced up from a monitor to wryly look at me, then back to Agent Fowler, "but not impossible."

I rolled my optics and grumbled under my vocalizer, giving the wall a death stare.

"Starscream may be unpredictable, but he is no longer a threat." Optimus emphasized.

"Are you saying that hothead 'Con commander's finally kicked the can?" The human said excitedly. I dug my clawed servos into the berth, biting down so hard on my glossa to keep from screaming obscenities at him that I tasted energon. I tried to spit it out, but it only dribbled over my mouth. I couldn't wipe at it either, thank you oh so very much, _good_ doctor. My wrists wouldn't bend at the right angle around the cuffs.

"Agent Fowler, now may not be the best time to have you in our company." Optimus added vaguely.

"Oh yeah? And why is that, Prime?" he brazenly challenged.

Optimus stepped out from in front of me, Bulkhead shortly followed. I hastily decided to play possum; shuttering my optics and letting my limbs go slack against the berth. It took all my willpower not to fire a stream of colorful insults at him.

"As you can see, he is currently in our custody."

"You captured him! How?! Aren't you going to make him spill? Because if you won't, I–"

"Please, Agent Fowler." I could feel Optimus hold up his servo to silence the pesky human. "We lack the ready means to properly interrogate our prisoner, but aggression will not further the process. We must give him time to divulge what he knows."

The human was quick to respond, regarding the mech looming over him with contempt. "You're making it sound like he'll be willing. Why not just open him up and take what you please?"

I gulped, then grimaced, tasting the tang of energon a second time. I cracked open an optic to see if anyone had noticed. No one appeared to have.

"I have to agree with Fowler on this one." Arcee said, gesturing with her servo. "Besides, we didn't bring him here for anything more than a patch job." She growled, folding her arms over her chest plate. She and the the others were clearly more than displeased with the current arrangement.

"No, Agent Fowler." the Prime's powerful voice resonated the room once again. "If we stoop to torturing Starscream, we would be no better than the Decepticons." I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"That option's only a last resort." Bulkhead added, earning a glare from Ratchet.

"He's a 'Con too." Fowler conceded.

[Not anymore.] Bumblebee pointed out.

"I can't understand you!" He brusquely reminded the scout.

I couldn't stand just lying here anymore. My optics flew open, and I sat up, glaring at the human. "He said: 'not anymore.'" I repeated, straining against my bonds again.

Fowler nervously took a step back. "He's awake!"

"Oh, did you really believe that performance the entire time?" I snapped. "You humans really are dumber than you look."

"Just because you've gone rogue doesn't mean we can trust you. Those cuffs are staying on, so you might as well save your energy." Ratchet jabbed a finger at my faceplates.

"Save it for what?" I laughed bitterly. "I'm not going anywhere by the look of things." All of them suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I'm not, am I?"

"We concurred when you were unconscious that it is best to temporarily keep you in a secure facility nearby." Optimus replied.

"What!? Do I not have a say in this?"

"You will not be mistreated, Starscream," he added. "We will send you there as soon as Ratchet finishes your wing clamp."

"You're a little late." I grumbled, pulling myself up into a sitting position once again. "Are the cuffs really necessary?"

"Remember the last time we let you take you take them off?" Arcee snarled.

"Can't say I do." I lied, remembering that incident clearly.

"This isn't a game, Starscream." She advanced towards me, all the other Autobots stood by and watched.

"Do I get bonus points if I pretend I care?" I retorted hotly.

"You could have killed me! Like you killed Cliff." Her voice took on a deadly edge. She lunged at me, transforming out a blade on her arm. I sprang off the berth, landing lightly on my pedes to the left of it. The Prime seized her arm, just as the tip of her blade was inches before sinking into my faceplates. I jumped backwards, smacking my wings against the bars right next to Agent Fowler. My servos wouldn't transform into blasters! I slammed one against the wall beneath him, cracking the concrete.

"Watch it!" He shouted. I flicked my wings in irritation.

"Tell that to her! She tried to gut me!" I panted, closely monitoring the Prime's tight grip on the enraged femme.

"Arcee." Optimus pulled her attention away from me. "Revenge will not bring back those we have lost." He echoed from when they last had held Starscream captive. I shuddered at the memory. She gradually calmed, the fire dying in her optics, and transformed the blade away. The leader of the Autobots relinquished his hold on her, and she stalked over to Ratchet, who was working on what resembled a new wing clamp.

"Nor will just standing around playing nice!" the femme angrily pointed out.

"These cuffs are inhibiting my transformation!" I complained loudly, choosing to ignore her.

The medic didn't look up from his work station, "Then they're doing their job."

"Not my vehicular mode, you dolt, I'm talking about my blasters!"

The insult flew over his helm. "That isn't the cuffs' doing."

"Then what is?!" I screeched. "Is something wrong with my T-Cog!" I gasped, clutching my side the best I could around those infernal cuffs.

"Quit the melodramatics, Scream." Bulkhead ordered.

"Why Bulkhead, I didn't think you capable of such large words. You never play with a full deck, now do you?" I hissed at him. "And if you call me that again, so help me Primus I will tear your vocalizer out."

"Ha! I'd love to see you try!" He challenged, I could see he was itching for a reason to fight.

Ratchet stepped in before things got even more out of hand. "Your T-Cog is fine. I temporarily disabled your weapons systems—for reasons I'll let you guess at."

"And the cuffs so I don't claw your faceplates off, _so you think_." My last three syllables were hardly above an angry whisper.

"Correct." Optimus joined in.

"Looks like you already did that to the berth," Ratchet huffed, gesturing at the spots where I had dug my talons into it.

I snorted in derision. "Please. Hardly a paint scratch! At least this isn't aboard the _Nemesis_ , Knock Out would have had my helm if I'd done that to the berth!" The medic chuckled in reply. "Oh, you have no idea." I added. "He threatened to solder my mouth shut after I told him to stop worshipping his buffer!"

Ratchet actually laughed at that, but quickly sobered up again. "Hold on–when were you last aboard the _Nemesis_?"

"Uh…" Oops.

"Yes?" He pushed.

"Just… recently." I answered vaguely, pretending to examine the tips of my talons on my right servo.

"How recently?" Agent Fowler jumped in.

I turned around to face him, lowering my servo. "And of what importance is it to the Autobots?" I growled.

This time Bulkhead spoke up a bit too loudly, startling me. "It's the 'Cons ship! If you were on it recently, of course we'd want to know where it is so we can blow the joint sky high!"

I checked my internal clock, sighing in exasperation. The stroke of midnight. "Yes, I was on it yesterday."

"But where is it?" The green mech pressed.

"Now?! Who knows! It's a ship, it moves!"

"Where _was_ it?" Agent Fowler growled. "Tell me or I'll hook up with my buddies at the Pentagon and sort you out. You know what I mean."

A picture popped into my processor of me strapped to a slab of concrete, wicked-looking devices poised above, ready to open my chassis up. I doubted they would show mercy. But as far as I knew, the only organization I knew of with those kind of agendas and resources was MECH.

Optimus Prime laid a servo on my shoulder, making me spin around out of fear and surprise. "Wh–what do _you_ want?" It came out harsher than I intended.

"For this to be discussed in the morning." He addressed me in almost what could have been called an amiable matter. "It is late, Ratchet needs to finish your wing clamp." He now addressed his fellow Autobots, "And you all need to grab the children in the morning. They do not have school on Saturday."

"With all due respect Optimus, we shouldn't bring the children here again with Starscream in the base! He's dangerous, what if he steps on one of them?!" Arcee pointed out. The three must have been forced to leave earlier, outside of my notice.

"Their population is too large anyway." I muttered ill-temperedly, already feeling fatigue set in from the past day's events.

"If you even _look_ at Miko the wrong way, you'll have to answer to me!" Bulkhead interjected, bashing his fists together.

I pantomimed taking notes, "Do not… look… at… children…"

"That's it!" He roared, transforming out his wrecking ball, but Optimus held out a servo. He transformed it away begrudgingly. _Prime does command a lot of respect_ , I noted.

"Autobots, go get some recharge. Bumblebee, please escort Starscream to a cell for the night. In the morning we will resume this conversation in a more diplomatic manner." The Prime said.

They all exited the room without complaint save for the yellow scout. [Let's.] He beeped simply, and began to stroll out of the room. I didn't follow, and a second later he asked why.

"Why did Ratchet patch me up? I haven't exactly done any favors for you Autobots."

[You told us the location of Megatron's second space bridge.]

"Yes, I did." I said pridefully, fluttering my wings.

[As Optimus would say, true compassion does not need to be earned, but given freely.] He began walking away again, door wings bouncing cheerfully with each step.

This time I followed.

* * *

Someone was roughly shaking me out of recharge. "Go away," I grumbled, sitting up.

"Get up! Let's try the shrink ray again!" Oliver insisted.

"Shouldn't you be at school?" I growled, and stood, meeting his gaze.

"It's Saturday!"

"And—?" I grumbled tiredly.

"We don't have school on weekends."

I rubbed my optics with a servo. "You're telling me I'm stuck with the likes of you two for the whole of today _and_ tomorrow? Primus, have mercy!"

Will laughed from behind where I stood. "Our parents were going to ground us for skipping school the past couple days, so we smuggled the ground bridge remote home and bridged here first thing in the morning. Oh yeah, and we left them a note."

"You smuggled _my_ remote into _your_ quarters without _my_ permission?! How dare you!" I shrieked.

"Good morning to you too, Screamer."

"And don't call me that!" I added, punctuating it with another screech.

"Here, maybe the ray will work if you're the one activating it." Will offered it to me, gently resting it on the floor.

I slammed a fist down on the hidden button, and the humans jumped out of the way as a red ball of energy grew at the tip. But then it seemingly was sucked back into the rod, sending a shock through its length. I stumbled backwards, my servo that had touched it smoking.

"Ah!" I gasped, frantically waving it back and forth through the air until the black smoke dissipated. "It clearly worked on me when Megatron used it, why not now?!" I griped, examining my servo.

"What if it's—powered by dark energon?" Oliver suggested.

"That's highly unlikely, considering how it is in such short supply." I pointed out.

"Are you sure it isn't broken?"

"Yes!" I snapped at him. "I ran a complete diagnostic on its systems, and it is in perfect working order. Well, it should be."

"Can I see it?" Will asked.

"Why? You won't understand Cybertronian technology." I spat.

"Then it can't hurt, can it?" He argued, and did have a fair point.

"If you insist." I replied. "I did file away the schematics." He complacently picked me up, depositing me on the main console. I swiftly typed in a few commands, and the Decepticon shield screensaver was replaced by a blueprint for the shrink ray.

"Wow." Oliver said in awe, his face washed in the red light of the screen.

"Here," I said, pointing to an empty space between a couple bolded intersecting lines on the diagram beneath where the second prong on the tip was, marking a pair of important wires. "this is where there was a surge when Oliver tried firing it."

The humans analyzed the diagram in a manner like they thought they would magically uncover _new_ information. "That's the only blank spot on the entire thing." Will observed.

"So?" I asked.

"What if something's missing–"

"Or, what if there's really something there, it just isn't marked?" Oliver suggested.

"Hm, that could be a possibility," I pondered, "but why leave it unmarked?"

"It could be secret, like a hidden function that would turn it into, like, a lightsaber or something!" He exclaimed.

"I need to open it up," I broke in.

"What?"

I knelt down and ran my servos over the staff. The tips of my fingers caught on a small latch. "Ah, yes, here it is." I pulled it open and examined the massive control panel. "There should be a lever…" My optics swept over it, coming to rest on said lever. I pulled on the lever, and slowly, it gave.

The lever finally came down hard, bashing into my leg. I jumped away from the device, gasping in surprise. Good thing I jumped. It split apart into clean-cut sections. Our eyes and optics fell on the place where the "empty" space was. I rushed over to it, the humans pressed their faces in behind me.

"What is it?!" Oliver asked anxiously.

"Really bad news." I sank down onto the floor in despair. "I'm fragged."

"What! Okay, why?" Will asked.

"I've seen these before. This device," I stood and pointed to it, "detects and analyzes the CNA—Cyber Nucleic Acid, like human DNA—of the first Cybertronian to come into contact with the ray."

"So? What's that got to do with this?"

"Everything," I answered before continuing, "It not only detects the CNA, but… memorizes it, so to speak. And then it _locks_ itself from the use of any other bot." I sighed, sitting down on the floor again.

"So you're saying that Megatron—who was the first to touch it—is the only one that it works for?" Oliver summarized.

"Yes."


	15. 14 - Shadowzone

XIV - Shadowzone

"Rise and shine, Scream. I've got a surprise for you." Arcee's voice announced from behind the bars of my cell, piercing through my recharge. I onlined my optics, blinking blearily and I looking around, not only having recharged in sporadic fits last night. The cuffs were too uncomfortable, and this berth was a few feet too short. I groaned, pulling myself up off it and rubbed my stiff joints the best I could, making a big show of it to ensure she knew how much I disliked it here.

My helm snapped up as I remembered what she'd said, "What do you mean?"

The femme brought forth a key card, energon cube, and of course, the wing clamp. "You're all set." What a surprise.

"Set for what?" I asked nervously, but already knew the answer.

"We're taking you to the facility today. You get a five-star cell, which is more than you deserve." She inserted the key card into its designated slot.

"Believe me, anything is better than this." I clutched the door's bars with my servos, violently shaking them. The lock clicked and the door swung wide open on unseen hinges. The femme gave me a wide berth as I strutted out, stretching my wings. She tossed me the cube, and I caught it with a nimble flick of my wrist.

I raised it to my mouth as Arcee edged around behind me. I tracked her every move with my optics, but she slipped outside of my line sight. Realizing a second too late what she was trying to do, I darted forwards. The clamp clapped shut around my wings with a loud _snap!_

"Is that really necessary?!" I exclaimed, dropping the cube. "Do you even know what these wretched manacles will do to my spinal struts?"

"No." She smirked, positioning herself in front of me, servos planted firmly on her hips. I opened my mouth to protest, but she beat me to it. "No funny business." Her tone became stony, "Optimus is ready to transport." She grabbed my arm, leading me towards the main chamber.

"I can walk!" I shoved her out of my way. "Or better yet, just fly my way out of here!" The clamp seemed to weigh down more heavily as a cruel reminder.

She grabbed my arm firmly again, "And give you the perfect opportunity to tell your 'Con buddies where our base is?!"

"I told you, I am no longer affiliated with that faction!" I scowled, wrenching it out of her grasp. "Besides, I've changed; seen the error of my ways. You wouldn't hurt a defenseless prisoner, would you?"

"I might." The motorcycle growled, transforming a blade out on her arm. "Move!"

Her blade dug into my spinal struts. I sighed, grumbling about the unfairness of it all as she frog-marched me to the main chamber.

* * *

"Move it, Miko!" Bulkhead ordered the human girl, who kept trying to dart between his legs.

"Aww, come on!" She whined. He scooped her up despite her protests and deposited her on the platform with the two other humans. They all watched, warily in Rafael and Jack's case, excitedly in Miko's, with their eyes fixed on the tunnel Arcee and I were about to enter through. I hesitated before fully entering the room, but the angry femme shoved me from behind, evoking a yelp of protest on my part as her blade jabbed into my back. It didn't do more than annoy me, however.

"Watch the wings!" I hissed, strutting into the main chamber. Miko gawked up at me, taking it literally.

"Whoa!" She exclaimed, leaning over the rails to get a better look.

I shot her a glare. "Staring is rude, you know."

"Uh, hi?" The smaller human boy adjusted his glasses, drawing my attention off the pesky human girl.

"Rafael, isn't it?" I purred contemptuously.

"You… know my name?" he asked nervously.

I looked at him with an air of superiority, a feat considering I was wearing cuffs and a clamp. "Of course I do."

"Leave them alone, Starscream." Arcee commanded.

"What? Am I harming them?" I asked innocently, trying to spread my servos but forgetting about the cuffs until they jerked taut. Piqued, I let my arms fall down again.

"No, it's okay 'Cee." Jack said, breaking his silence.

"It speaks." I taunted. He didn't take the bait.

"Where are you guys going to anyway?" Miko asked, twirling one of her pigtails.

"Away from the likes of you." I snapped.

"No one asked you." She retorted.

I ruffled my wings, "Can we get this over with?" Miko cast a sideways glance at me and jumped onto the couch, snatching up a notebook and pencil and promptly began to color with them. The two human boys stared as if her behavior was the most bizarre thing they had ever seen. And to them, they were standing among aliens.

"Get in the trailer." Bulkhead ordered. My optics fell on Optimus' terrestrial form, hitched up to said trailer in the corner of the room. I could tell from here that would be even a tighter squeeze than the berth. I let out a loud exasperated sigh, wings sinking as much as the clamp would allow.

Bumblebee threw the back of Prime's trailer open, beeping for me to get in. Optimus flashed his headlights, signaling me to get in. "Autobots, remain here. You too, Miko." The girl, hunched over the coloring book, looked up abruptly, pigtails bobbing.

"You're not my mother!" She protested. I caught a glimpse of her drawing as she threw it down, a poorly done sketch of me. I didn't know whether I should have been flattered or insulted. She vaulted over the rail and began sprinting down the stairs.

"There she goes again." Jack sighed. When she exited onto the floor, Bulkhead put his pede out in front of her and she ran straight into it, bouncing back and falling onto her rear with an "Oomph!"

"Not today, Miko." The brute said sadly, like he wanted to come too.

"I want to see him fly!" she fired back, picking herself up off the floor. "He turns into a _jet_!" she enunciated each syllable excitedly.

"It won't be a good thing if he does anytime soon." Bulkhead pointed out. I grunted in amusement, thinking: _That's your opinion._

"Yes, Miko, wait your turn. I'm sure the Autobots will rid themselves of you vermin soon enough."

"You take that back!" Rafael tried to shout, but it came out more like a passive-aggressive request.

"And why would I, Rafael?" I purred, leaning in closer to him. "Are _you_ going to do something about it?"

"His name's Raf." Bulkhead said stoutly.

"Nicknaming your pets?" I crooned.

"That does it!" Miko hollered, and tried to charge me.

This time Bumblebee jumped in to stop her and Bulkhead while Arcee shoved me into the trailer.

I looked at Bumblebee holding a struggling Miko from the depths of the trailer, "My, my, you should really keep them on a tighter leash."

And then Arcee's servo connected with my faceplates in a flash of black. I blinked hard, panting and scrambling to the back of the trailer before she could land another blow. Bumblebee looked at her in disapproval, gently pulling her away from the opening.

"Watch yourself, 'Con, or I'll wipe that smug smirk off your metal face!" Agent Fowler growled, raising his fists.

I stared him down, for once not having a venomous retort at the ready.

* * *

The trailer was even worse than the truck's bed. At least the latter was open, but the trailer was a stuffier, bumpier ride than before. Not to mention that this time I hadn't the faintest clue as to where we were. That was the intention.

Arcee had taken point; I heard her engine growling faintly ahead over the rumble of Optimus'. Agent Fowler rode in Prime's cab, presumably to handle any human affairs should they arise. He hummed along to some obscure human music that couldn't have been worse if Breakdown sung it.

Without warning, the rig screeched to a halt. Unable to stand not knowing what was going on, I poked a hole through the side of the trailer with the tip of my finger and pressed an optic to it.

A chain link fence topped with barbed wire stretched out as far as I could see. Up front, there was a small station with two armed guards out front, both clad in what appeared to be standard U.S. military gear. Agent Fowler leaned out of Optimus' cab, exchanging a few words with the soldiers. The first soldier waved us on a second later, and stepped out of the way to punch a button. The gate in front of Arcee opened, she and Optimus drove through. The gate still hung open, the leading soldier now speaking on a cell phone, both their backs turned.

I couldn't have had a better opportunity than this.

I rammed my shoulder into the rear of the trailer, creating a dent and causing it to shake violently. Again. I clawed it, then rammed it a third time to widen the gap. It was large enough for me to poke my helm out, but nothing more. And Optimus was slowing, certainly knowing something was amiss. I crawled to the front of the trailer, and turned around, now facing the gash. This had better work. I rushed at it with all the strength I could muster, and flew out the back in a flurry of dust and debris.

I spat dirt out of my mouth and rolled onto my back. "So much for soft landings."

"Don't move a muscle, alien!" One of them shouted. I cocked my helm, seeing Optimus and Arcee beelining back towards where I lay.

"What are you going to do, shoot?" Cackling, I sprung to my pedes.

"Open fire!" the leader barked. Their bullets pinged off my armor, a mere nuisance if anything at all. Three more soldiers burst out of the building, guns blazing. I kicked at one as I fled the Autobots, who were rapidly drawing closer. The human skidded backwards, hitting the front of the building then comically flopping onto his front. Two of his counterparts rushed over to help him, throwing their arms aside.

The all too familiar rumble of Prime's engine increased in volume until it was a roar in my audials. I stumbled over a rock, but quickly recovered and picked up the pace, distancing myself from my pursuers if by only a fraction.

"Surrender!" Optimus commanded, and Agent Fowler pounded on the Prime's horn in approval. I was just in front of the rig, and its horn was deafening. I shrieked, stumbling again, but this time I fell over.

I desperately shoved out my servos in a weak attempt to halt him, but he continued to bear down upon me, Arcee not far behind. He transformed at the last second, flying over me and landed heavily on my other side. One servo dug into the dirt to control his slide, the other supposedly keeping Agent Fowler up out of harm's way. The human gagged, looking a little green as Optimus set him down gently.

"Prime, next time give me a warning before you do that." He requested. I didn't waste a second, jumping to my pedes once again… and backpedaling straight into my favorite femme, Arcee.

"Surprise." I spun around to find her charged blasters locked onto my shocked faceplates.

"Arcee, stand down." Optimus ordered.

"But he killed Cliff!" She spat, aiming one of her blasters where my spark resided while the other stayed directed at my helm.

"Stand down." He repeated forcefully, to both of us. She begrudgingly raised her blasters, transforming them back into servos.

"What about your T-Cog?" Arcee abruptly changed the subject.

"What about it?" I replied, but then felt rueful as I realized my mistake.

"How did you get it back from MECH?" She asked suspiciously.

"I–uh…" Help. I clacked my claws together, unsure of what to say for once in my life. "… managed to retrieve it from Silas." I finished in a reedy voice.

They both looked extremely skeptical. "Enlighten us, Starscream." Optimus pressed.

"WHAT THE FRAG DID YOU DO?!" Starscream yelled over my comm frequency. I didn't even have the chance to respond, optics widening. A good thing that I had previously switched off the function where others could hear it. "You crashed into the side of a building! It's plastered to every front page of human news! Are you not well aware that if we Cybertronians are discovered, it could jeopardize us and everything we're doing!" He screeched.

"Yes! Not the best time!" I hissed back.

"What?" Arcee asked.

I risked looking away from the pair so they couldn't see my mouth moving or hear what I said. "Send a ground bridge to my coordinates immediately!"

He paused for a moment before answering. "I can't get a fix!" He growled in frustration.

"What do you mean you can't?!" I asked incredulously. "You commed me, didn't you?"

"That's different," he countered. "Your signal isn't showing up!"

I gasped in realization. "Ratchet must have put a dampener in the clamp!"

"What clamp?"

"The one clapped over my wings." I growled.

"You were captured?!" It was his turn to be incredulous.

"And am presently in the company of Optimus and his lapdog, Arcee, supposedly near their base."

"Then why are you not transmitting me your current coordinates!" He berated.

"That would be beneficial, yes." I crooned sarcastically, reciting them a moment later.

"I am locked on. You might want to consider moving." He suggested.

Optimus put a finger over his right audial. "Ratchet, the time for subtlety has passed. Send in a ground bridge from my coordinates to the facility."

A small crackle of static preceded the medic's response, "Do you have the coordinates to the facility?"

"I do." He relayed them a second later.

"Firing it up… the humans are abusing the remote–DON'T TOUCH THAT!" Starscream screeched at them. I covered my audials, wincing as they rang. "Sorry," He muttered a second later.

I reflexively closed the comm frequency, unclenching my servos from around the sides of my helm.

"Enough dawdling, Starscream. You can enjoy the view from your cell." Arcee spat, walking towards me. The "view" she referred to was nothing more than a deserted wasteland, save for the road, the military encampment and a small cluster of buildings so far off in the distance they might have been my imagination.

Two identical ground bridges spiraled into existence side by side before the three of us. Optimus and Arcee hesitated, and I reopened my comm. "Which one!?"

"What?" Starscream asked, clearly annoyed.

"There's two of them!"

"Left! The left one!" My double barked instantly.

I leapt through it without a second's hesitation, feeling it close behind me. I raced through the vortex and exited into blinding sunlight once again. I spun around in confusion, expecting to be on the main deck of the _Harbinger_. The bridges closed, and behind where they once were stood Optimus and Arcee again.

"What!? How is this possible!" I yelped.

"Ratchet," Optimus commed, "where did the second ground bridge come from?"

Ratchet's voice sounded again from the Prime's comm link. "Second bridge?"

"Starscream ran through it, it appeared at the same time next to ours."

"Yes, and did that get me anywhere?!" I shouted at Optimus, but he ignored my ranting.

"Is Starscream at the base?" Arcee joined in.

"What?" I asked, dumbfounded. I walked over to them, stepping right in the middle of Prime's line of sight.

"He is not." Ratchet confirmed.

"This is unbelievable!" I snarled, warming up. "Whatever game you're playing, Prime, I refuse to fall for it! Just take me to your fragging facility, enough of this madness!"

"Can you locate his coordinates?" The Prime's calm demeanor nearly pushed me over the edge. I clenched and unclenched my fists, intaking heavily.

"Negative."

"Is he…" Arcee asked Optimus hopefully.

"I find that circumstance unlikely." Optimus stated.

"Do I look like I am not functioning to you?!" I screamed at them.

The Prime stepped forwards and I backed up, but not quickly enough. His chassis passed right through mine, the sensation more sickening than space bridging. If I hadn't bit my lip I would've purged. "No…" I whimpered, starting to tremble uncontrollably. "This can't be real!" I was shaking like a leaf, the cuffs and clamp weren't exactly beneficial. Being shackled was like having your own personal prison that followed you around, and not having the faintest idea of what to do sent larger tremors through my frame.

"Send us a bridge back to base, Ratchet." Optimus requested.

"Optimus, I have to ask first…" Ratchet started to say.

"Yes?"

"Remember Skyquake's grave?"

"I do."

"What if the two ground bridges crossed streams similarly as to what happened then?" He suggested. I gradually unclenched my servos, calming down with the newfound knowledge that I would be rescued shortly.

"That would explain how he vanished without a trace." Arcee pointed out.

"Ratchet, are you able to recreate the situation?" Optimus asked. My wings perked up at the prospect.

"I… cannot." The medic sighed, and they drooped down once again as far as the clamp allowed, which wasn't much. Ratchet yelped in surprise on the other end of the comm, I heard a few sharp beeps supposedly coming from the Autobots' machinery. "Augh!" He growled in frustration. "Fickle Earth technology! There was a surge through the ground bridge power supply, it could have fried some of the more delicate circuitry. You two will have to drive back to base, and in the meantime, I will fix this."

Optimus closed the comm, turning to face Arcee, who spoke up first. "Optimus, if Starscream is trapped in the shadow zone somewhere around here," She gestured in the opposite direction of where I was standing, "he could just follow us to the base."

"I could…" I murmured thoughtfully, a menacing grin sliding across my faceplates. "The location of the Autobot base," I hummed, "just the information I–Starscream needs to rejoin the Decepticons and earn Megatron's favor."

"The wing clamp Ratchet constructed would inhibit his attempts to follow us." Optimus reminded her.

She reluctantly transformed, revving her engine loudly. "Then let's go." She drove straight through me; I stumbled backwards, shaking my helm to stave off the dizziness and nausea it had caused. Optimus followed suit, I jumped out of his way at the last second to avoid going through that unpleasant sensation a third time.

"I might as well try to comm my wingless double a second time…" I spoke my thoughts aloud. "Starscream? Anyone ho–AUGH!" I screeched as a jolt of pain cut through my helm; it felt like a railroad spike was being driven through it. I crumpled to my knees and servos, panting as the abrupt spike of pain subsided. "This–alternate dimension, this shadow zone must have interference or be unable to transmit radio waves." I growled, shakily clambering up to my pedes once again. "Or it could be these infernal bonds, scrambling the signal and my processor! However, if I can follow the Autobots to their base…" I didn't bother to finish my thought, not wanting to waste time as I remembered how I successfully removed my previous clamp.

I ran over to the military building and painfully threw myself against it. A second, third and fourth time. To my dismay, I discovered that this clamp certainly was much stronger than the previous one.

I rammed my right shoulder plates against the building a final time with a jarring _crash!_ A web of cracks spread throughout the concrete siding and the clamp fell away at my pedes. I kicked it and fanned my wings in smug triumph. I just hoped that when I transformed, my cuffs would come off as well. I relished the use of my missiles, not to mention my arms.

So I did, springing up into the air with a backflip. The cuffs fell to the ground, which of course only cemented a smug grin deeper into my hidden faceplates.

With a roar from my engine and a wave of fire exploding out my thruster, I shot towards the pair of Autobots, my engine humming with pleasure. Their paint gleamed, both of them shining like beacons as I no doubt did as well underneath the brilliant sunrise. I corkscrewed through a cloud, feeling as if something had finally gone right for once. And I still had arms, which was good.

I jetted out of it in a puff of white only to see a wall of rock speeding towards me.

* * *

 **A/N: It's a cliffhanger! (Okay, okay, that was bad. Don't hurt me.)**


	16. 15 - Mistake

XV - Mistake

"Come on, shouldn't there be an override switch? Like, in case someone activated it on accident and…"

Will snickered, but then saw I was glaring and hastily turned it into a cough.

"Do you think I would still be confined to this size if there was?!" I shot back at Oliver, slamming a fist down onto the side of the ray in fury. I kicked it too.

"Right." Will muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "Why not just make a new one?"

"The secrets of the Ancients have long since been lost to 'modern science.'" I replied cooly.

"So, we can't remove it," Oliver began to spout off, "we can't override it, we can't make a new ray, and we definitely can't ask Megatron nicely to do it for you."

"Yes, yes, yes, yes. You both might as well leave." I spat, tensely rubbing the jagged lumps of metal on my back marking where my wings used to be. "I am no longer in need of your… _assistance_." Hindrance felt more apropos.

"No way!" They both cried out in unison.

"This's been the best week of my entire life!" Oliver continued, "If we leave, you're coming with us."

"Yeah! We're living the dream!" Will added, but then bit his tongue and looked away hastily, Oliver shot him daggers with his eyes. "Erm, so to speak…"

I cast them a dubious look, "Oh, really? And just how would this be the time of your lives' on this wreck of a ship with a Cybertronian the size of a mere human!"

They both exchanged a glance. "You seem pretty busy right now…"

"Yeah…" Oliver finished lamely. "Wait, what happened to your clone? Weren't you just chatting with him?" he abruptly changed the subject.

I sent out a comm, pinging Seven. And waited. It was much more enjoyable to take out my anger on him instead of beating a drone senseless. "Seven! Answer me, you worthless piece of–"

"Eh, he's probably busy too." Will cut in, straightening his shirt.

I irritably switched the comm off, looking up from the main computer terminal. "What do you know?"

"What do _you_ know?" He shot back, "He could be trading blaster fire with the 'Bots."

"Yeah… where is he?" Oliver asked, curiosity compelling him.

"Hmph. He must have removed the clamp; his signal is back online." I pointed to it, facing the humans.

"Where?"

I whirled around, "What?" It had vanished.

"Is he…" Will asked nervously. An image popped into my processor of Optimus Prime dragging his dead chassis by an arm.

But I wasn't sure. Knowing him, myself even, he would have tried to reason with them before any termination occurred. "To trade information…" I murmured.

"What?" They both pressed.

I spun around and ended up glaring at Oliver. "Must I spell _everything_ out!?" He flinched backwards. "My blasted clone could have revealed the location of our base! I want you both to confirm his demise—this ship is ancient, its systems are chock-full of glitches." I opened a ground bridge portal to his last known location before the pair could even reply.

"Can I stay here?" Oliver said. Will and I both looked at him incredulously. He cleared his throat before he continued, "You know… in case you need help?"

"I will manage just as well on my own." I waved them off, my pride wounded.

Will shrugged, gesturing at the vortex for Oliver and smirking, "Ladies first." The other human rolled his eyes, moving as if to walk through the waiting bridge.

"Wait–look!" Oliver pointed to the ceiling in amazement. Will's head jerked up to find nothing on the ceiling, save for peeling paint and cobwebs. Oliver abruptly shoved him through the bridge, laughing as he stumbled and vanished in a flash of light.

"Are you done?" I asked sarcastically.

He stifled a final laugh, "Yeah."

"Then remind me why you are still here!"

"If we find your clone's–Seven's body, what are we supposed to do with it? 'Cause we can't exactly pick it up and walk off, or stuff it in the back of some truck and bring it through the bridge." He snorted, pulling identical walkie talkies out of his back pocket and tossed one next to me.

"Human technology." I scoffed. "Just try to get its T-Cog." My fingers flew over the screen, and a picture of one from the med files popped up a second later. "If you can."

"That's huge!" He exclaimed, "How are we supposed to carry that?"

"Assuming you find my deceased counterpart." I said pointedly. "Figure it out!"

He nodded, unsure of how to reply. No sooner than when I had turned my back again, I heard him jump through the bridge.

I closed it behind them, sighing, "Finally, a moment's peace…"

* * *

"AUGH!" I screamed as the cliff bore down on me. I tilted my nose skyward, approaching the wall of rock at alarmingly fast speeds. I narrowly managed to jet up, executing a small spiral to avoid clipping my wing on the rock face. "That was too close." I panted, transforming and landing heavily on top of the plateau, shaking myself off. "Stupid chaotic planet, why is it that a wall of rock can appear out of nowhere?"

It started to rain as I scanned my surroundings. I didn't even notice it at first; being just a mist. The chill crept into the bases of my sensitive wings and I shivered. But in less than a couple of minutes, the rock on which I was standing was slick and I was soaked to my core as the drizzle turned into a torrent. I flapped my wings in a vain attempt to rid them of water, dispelling the tenacious droplets.

"More like how can a storm can appear out of nowhere?!" I shivered again, holding up a servo to shield my optics from the downpour and squinted to get a better view. The pair of Autobots had vanished after I had flew through that low-hanging cloud. But my visibility was so poor at the moment that I might've just missed them.

The butte I stood on had two levels, I was on the higher one. An octagonal-shaped human structure squatted on the lower level with a U.S. military helicopter sitting on top of it. Curious, I leapt down, landing a few steps away from one of the sharp corners.

"Hello, what's this?" I purred, but couldn't even hear my own voice above the drumming rain. A straight crack between the two halves of the octagon suggested that it could be a doorway leading into the depths of the plateau. I banged a servo on it harshly, smirking, "Anyone home?" I knocked on it again. "No? I'll be breaking and entering—shelter is shelter, but with all this water, well," I kicked a puddle, "I'm not vain like the good doctor, but I'll surely rust or even freeze if this continues!"

I kicked the helicopter off the butte and it exploded in a blaze of red and orange fire. Huffing in amusement, I jammed the tips of my fingers into the slit between the doors. They didn't budge, but if there was one thing I had right now, it was time. A swarm of drones weren't exactly about to make an entrance like last time—at least I hoped they wouldn't.

"Why would they? Ha! And even if they could–unngh!" The doors still weren't moving, "how… would they… find… me?!" I panted, chuckling as I stood and studied them. "Except the Autobots…" I shook myself off again, "they would know where to find me. Unless if I can find them first, if merely to be rescued. At least I can stretch my wings in this prison…" A dark realization dawned on me. I stopped tugging at the doors. "Like that Terrorcon Skyquake, I cannot access energon in this shadow zone–let alone process it because the only thing truly here is me… being only an overlay on the real dimension!" I growled. "That would explain how I cannot communicate either." I reasoned, transforming my servos into blasters and fired rapid shots at that slagging door. "But I appear to be able to interact with the real dimension in a limited way." I smirked as smoke curled off the metal, any fire that would have started was immediately doused by the torrential rain. "I just need to stay away from that monstrosity, ugh, last time was horrible…" I trailed off, thinking. "I wonder if Starscream's arm is still in that canyon somewhere…" I chuckled and suppressed a shiver.

* * *

"What in the Sam Hill was that?!" Agent Fowler yelped. All the humans swiveled their heads to stare at the ceiling as small streams of dust rained down.

"Bulkhead?" Miko wondered.

"No, he said he'll comm us when he's back." Raf replied.

"Lightning, then?" Jack asked.

"No, all our systems are still perfectly operational—well, as functional as they have been since that blasted scraplet invasion." Ratchet grumbled. "Earth technology…"

A flashing green light went off and everyone in the base crowded around the main monitors. "Proximity sensor!" Agent Fowler exclaimed, and drew himself up, hastily straightening his jacket.

Ratchet pulled up feeds from a handful of hidden cameras positioned in various locations on the exterior of their base, still grumbling about how rudimentary and insufficient Earth tech was.

"Is it Ms. Darby?" Miko giggled, leaning in to get a closer look at the screen near the entrance to their base.

"No, actually." The medic said, scanning each feed individually. Fowler looked crestfallen.

"Then who is it?" He asked, taking on a more casual pose.

"… no one." He closed the last feed, which was from the top of their base and shut off the green light. "I told you, using Earth tech is hardly an optimal decision."

"No," The Prime agreed, "but it is all we have at our disposal for the moment."

The medic huffed and turned away. "Faulty sensors, glitches around every corner, system-wide shutdowns, processor malfunctions…" Arcee raised an eyebrow, "I wasn't referring to any of you."

Optimus only frowned as if deep in thought. Arcee's optics widened at the same time, "Optimus, you don't think…"

"I do." He rumbled.

[Think what?] Bumblebee prodded, and all the others looked eager to hear the answer.

"Starscream." Arcee growled. "He followed us here—and he's the only one I can think of fool enough to get caught in a storm like this."

Miko giggled, "Ha! You both thought of him at 'processor malfunctions'!"

Arcee rolled her optics.

* * *

"What! Oh, come on!" Will griped next to me, picking himself up off the ground. "He could've at least given us a heads-up that it was raining!" He tried to wipe mud off his jeans, but only managed to smear it further.

"I doubt he knew." I said, pulling my hood up over my head to afford some protection from the onslaught of rain. "Let's go, don't you want to see a dead robot?"

"I'd rather see a live one." He muttered, but I tugged on his sleeve, dragging him forward.

"We already have." I sloshed through a muddy puddle. "Crap! These are my nice shoes!"

"That's what you get for wearing Converse."

"Like you're any different." I snorted. "At least I have a hood!" He yanked it down. "Hey!" But my hair was already drenched. I shrugged, flicking it out of my eyes. "So. Where should we look first?"

He trudged forward, ignoring puddles. "Do you think we'll actually find Seven, or what's left of him?" my friend asked a moment later.

I shivered. "Maybe. Who knows? Starscream's real, we're walking around outside Jasper for frag's sake!"

"Hey, we're outside _Jasper_." He smirked, looking at me.

"Your point?" I crossed my arms over my chest expectantly.

"The Autobot base: Omega One. We know where it is. We can certainly turn the tables with that little bit of info."

"I don't know…" I muttered, "just because Screamer or his clone haven't done anything bad to us doesn't mean they won't jump at the chance to hurt the 'Bots. It-it's just unfair that we have an advantage from watching the stupid show."

"Are you supporting them?" He accused.

"So what if I am?" I shot back. "We're not Decepticons! And neither are Scream or Sev, last I checked. Besides, the 'Bots are the good guys! Don't you want to at least meet them?!"

"Maybe…" He shook water out of his hair. "How would the Government even let TFP air if it's real?"

I shrugged, "It's not like we can ask them. If I had to guess, it'd be reverse psychology. Portray it as fiction, and if people do see a Transformer, they'll probably boil it down to a hallucination."

"Hmph. Like America needs more drugs."

"Well… better for people to be on fake meds than the world panicking about real aliens." I reasoned halfheartedly.

We trudged on in silence and the ground bridge closed behind us. No one would think it was nearly noon, more like nearly midnight. Will's stomach growled.

"Hungry?" I asked.

"Yeah. But I'm less worried about lunch than contracting hyperthermia… or whatever."

I chortled, pulling my hood up again. " _Hypo_ thermia, you mean. Hyperthermia is a high fever." I cinched it tight.

"Yes, doctor." He tilted his head back, mouth agape.

"What?" I looked skywards as well, expecting to see something along the lines of Seven descending upon us. No such luck, the only things were the water droplets that stung my face.

"I'm thirsty," came his reply.

"We'll never find anything in this weather." I groaned, "I can't even see thirty feet in front of me!" I shivered again as an icy rivulet of water trickled down my spine.

Will swallowed, tilting his head back down. "I thought _you_ were the one that was super excited about this whole… endeavor." He pointed out, stopping to face me.

"I was. You shouldn't have drank that, ever hear of acid rain?"

"Blah, blah blah, germaphobe. Let's just get out of here." He pushed his black hair out of his eyes. I quickly pulled out my walkie talkie and stuffed it into the right side of my hood, turning it on. I prayed it wasn't too waterlogged.

"Screamer? Send us a bridge, we can't find him, let alone see."

A crackle of static preceded his reply, "Is this thing even on? Finally!—I'll send one to where I dropped you off." More static; his grip over the button must have slipped. "Did you say you couldn't find him?"

"Yeah." I muttered. "Just send the bridge already. Oliver out." I let go of the button.

Static. Then another bridge opened not too far from where we stood. Well, more like sulked.

"Do you think Scream still needs our help? I've been thinking about what he said." Will said, holding me back from entering.

"Yeah, if he gets back to his full size. He says he wants us to leave, but I don't really think he means it." I pushed hair out of my eyes.

" _When_ he's full sized." Will corrected. I wasn't so sure, but nodded anyway.

We both stared at the glowing vortex. "What are we waiting for?" I asked.

He shrugged, "What if when he uses the ray, he just steps on us?"

I frowned, "Whoops! Sorry Oliver, my foot slipped!" Will snorted. "Wouldn't that be convenient for him. No one would ever know what happened to us."

I nodded, unsure of how to answer. Nonetheless, we walked through the bridge.

* * *

"What took you?" Ratchet growled. "I sent out a comm over fifteen minutes ago!"

"Traffic." Bulkhead shrugged, shaking water off his plating.

Arcee tossed him a couple towels as Optimus clapped a massive servo over Ratchet's shoulder. "Starscream may need a medic more than another warrior, old friend."

Said medic huffed, shrugging off the Prime's servo. "That may be, but are we really about to help him? Let him into our base, even?"

"He's been here before." Miko pointed out. Jack shushed her loudly.

"Yes, and he wore stasis cuffs and a clamp!" Ratchet emphasized.

"I believe it is the most prudent course of action." Optimus stated, making it clear that the case was closed.

"Why can't we just leave him to rust?" Arcee placed her servos on her hips.

"Puh-lease! He knows the location of our base!" The old bot protested.

"But he's trapped in the shadow zone." She reminded, now crossing her arms over her chest plate.

"Only a minor setback, I'm sure. The Decepticons will rescue him if we let them." He resumed typing at the console.

Bumblebee whirred, [Remember the first time MECH caught Breakdown?]

"We know Starscream saved his aft, but what's that got to do with any of this?" Bulkhead asked.

[The fact that Megatron didn't. If Breakdown was weak enough to be captured by humans,] Raf tilted his head, listening intently, [not to offend present company—then he wasn't worth rescuing. And I've got a feeling that Megatron wasn't happy with Scream once he learned of it.]

"Bee, you've got one dark processor." He said, running a towel over his right arm.

"What'd he say?!" Miko yelped excitedly and leaned precariously over the catwalk. Raf repeated it for her. "That _is_ dark." She agreed, and both Jack and Raf nodded along with her. "You are going to save Screamer, right?" Now they looked at her like she was crazy.

"Uh, Miko, he's the bot who killed Cliffjumper!" Jack pointed out as if she was unaware.

She looked like she was about to retort, but thought better of it and clamped her mouth shut.

"Miko is correct." Optimus nodded his head in assent. Now all heads and helms pivoted to stare at him with incredulity. "If we do not help Starscream during his time of need, then we are no better than the Decepticons, considering they would do the same."

"With all due respect, Optimus, but I don't see him trying to help us." Arcee huffed matter-of-factly.

"True kindness is acting without expecting anything in return. We should not base our choices and deeds upon receiving a reward, rather, aid others for merely the sake of doing so." he preached. The femme did look a bit uncomfortable at that statement.

"But," Ratchet piped up, "you can't make something without breaking another first," he stated, ever the optimist.

"That's deep." Jack said lamely.

"You want him to join us?" Miko asked skeptically. "It's not like he's about to change his stripes."

"However unlikely that circumstance," he faced the human, "I believe that Starscream could prove to be a valuable ally if we extend the hand of friendship."

"Or you'll pull back a stump." Arcee growled. " _Ally?!_ What has he done for us? Oh, wait, he snuffed Cliff!" Her voice raised to a shout, but Optimus let her vent. "And now you're wanting to replace him with his killer!" She transformed and drove out of the base before anyone could say anything else.

"The external wounds heal the quickest." Ratchet echoed.

"Indeed, old friend." Optimus nodded sadly.

"I'll go get her." Bulkhead broke in, moving to transform.

But Optimus grabbed his arm, "She needs time."

The green mech looked hesitant for a moment, but then relaxed. Optimus relinquished his hold on the other mech.

"I will send him a ground bridge." Ratchet glanced at Optimus, "With your permission, of course." the Prime nodded, gaze fixed on the screen as the medic input the coordinates. "I've done this once before…"

"And I am sure you will do admirably this time as well." The red mech encouraged. Bulkhead nodded along with the children. Agent Fowler had been unusually silent for the duration of their conversation, deep in thought.

"If he so much as slips a finger, knock him senseless for me, two-ton." the man pointed an accusing finger at the green mech.

"You got it!" He bashed his fists together loudly. Optimus looked at him with disapproval. "Uh… maybe later then…"

"Bumblebee, accompany Bulkhead to retrieve Starscream." Prime ordered. The scout nodded, following the green mech onto the lift.

"Keep him under control this time, Prime. Or I'll get the Pentagon involved."

"Understood."

Ratchet pulled down the lever on the side of the console, activating a ground bridge up top, as they saw from a camera's feed.

"Planes crashing into buildings… hasn't Uncle Sam had enough of that?" Agent Fowler muttered somberly, scrolling through local headlines.

* * *

I brought my servos down hard onto the flat doors again, rattling the joints in my arms.

"Primus, what are these made of?! I haven't even dented it!" I snarled, glaring at them. I leapt down off them and onto the rock. "After all I've been through, I am _not_ going to be halted… by a locked door! I wasn't on the _Nemesis_ , and I'm not going to be now!" I grabbed one of the radio antennae next to a squat concrete building, more of a shack, really. I snapped it off, ramming the butt of it into the gap between the doors and readjusted my grip on the slippery pole. I slowly pried it open, grinning. "Ha! Nothing gets past the mighty S–"

My servos slipped down the slick pole and it flew out out of my grasp. I lost my balance and landed on top of the doors with a crash. They slammed shut as I landed on them. But then they started to open on their own, raising up. I scrambled off them as I started to slide down, and skidded into a puddle of muddy water deep enough to submerge my splayed legs as I sat there, waiting for what was to come. The water was frigid.

A ground bridge opened near me and I moved to dash through it, no questions asked. But I froze in fear and shock (and cold) as two bots rose up out of the opening on a moving platform.

My numb legs didn't move fast enough and Bulkhead and Bumblebee walked straight through me. The effect was double the intensity of the first couple times it happened. I vaguely saw them walk through the bridge out of the corner of my optics as I emptied my tank's contents onto the ground. The downpour washed the energon away almost instantly. I shakily managed to stand up, wiping my mouth with the back of my servo, shuddering from the cold. But then I took a step forward and dislodged a loose rock. I landed on my back and squinted against the onslaught of rain, getting up again. This time I didn't slip, but my tank was still queasy. I quietly cursed this planet.

The pair of mechs both emerged from the same ground bridge a second later, but this time saw me.

"Scream!" They darted over, "C'mon, let's get you inside. You don't look so hot." They half walked, half dragged me towards the waiting bridge.

"Why?" I growled, and spit out a glob of energon, startling the green mech.

[Prime's orders.] The yellow scout stated.

I couldn't even resist; it took all my energy to just stay conscious. I hadn't recharged or even had any energon since Starscream cloned me almost a week ago, and felt positively fatigued. My previous exertion hadn't helped in the slightest. I shuttered my optics and sighed, savoring the heat in their grips.

* * *

The warrior and scout appeared as the lift lowered, holding a certain silver Seeker's sopping, slack form behind them.

"Whoa!" Miko exclaimed in awe.

Bulkhead interrupted, "He's pretty waterlogged, but alive."

Arcee huffed in disappointment, having returned a few minutes ago.

"Are you saying you guys aren't waterproof?" Miko asked, pointing a questioning finger at the Wrecker.

Ratchet rolled his optics, walking over to examine Seven. "Of course we are! It rained on Cybertron, you know."

Bumblebee shuddered, [Acid rain was the worst.]

Ratchet activated the scanner mounted on his arm. "His energon levels are low and core temperature is just above the blue zone, but otherwise he's fine. Nothing surprising, really, he's probably been scrounging for energon while he's been rogue," the medic muttered, gaze still fixed on the scanner. "He should wake up any minute now." He slipped a servo under the jet's left shoulder plating, just before his optics blearily onlined.

"Starscream, don't even think about trying anything." The old bot growled.

He raised his helm, unfocused optics gaze meeting Ratchet's, sporadic shivers still running through his frame. "I'm not Starscream."

One could've heard a pin drop.


	17. 16 - Repercussions

XVI - Repercussions

Nothing spelled "mistake" quite like that. I'm not Starscream. What the frag was I thinking?

And just as those fatal words flew out my mouth, Miko stomped forwards until she was practically in my faceplates.

"Yeah, and I'm Megatron!" She shouted. "Who do you think you're kidding?!" She would have been hilarious had the situation not have been so dire.

"W-what I meant to say was–"

"That you finally went off the deep end?" Bulkhead cut in humorlessly.

"N-no!" I stuttered, shaking my helm. Water dripped into my optics, I rapidly shuttered them and coughed up some more diluted energon. Everyone stumbled backwards like I was diseased. Miko squealed as some water splashed her, feverishly shaking it out of her hair. "Arcee said the same thing."

"Yeah, Marianas Trench deep, all right." He said, releasing my arm in disgust.

I whimpered, voice shaky. "My sanity is still very much intact!" My optics darted around to each of them in turn, wings low.

"Ha! That's the joke of the century, right there!" Bulkhead snorted. "Just look at him!"

"Bulkhead." Optimus chided sternly, "Now is not the time."

The brute was right, to some regard. I no doubt looked like a mess. My servos were half coated in energon from my tank, legs and pedes caked with mud, wings low, and I was dripping water from helm to pede. Not to mention visibly shivering, still feeling that horrid cold gnawing at my insides. No wonder they all took a step back: I did look diseased.

"This is your fault!" I accusingly pointed a shaking finger at the green and yellow mechs.

[How?] The scout beeped.

"None of this," I gestured at my dirty, shaking chassis and at their base, "Would've happened if you all," pointing another finger at Optimus, "hadn't sent that fragging bridge in the first place! Not to mention when you walked right through me four-FOUR times! Do you have any notion of what that feels like?!"

Miko caught me off-guard; I wasn't expecting an answer. "I do." She waved her tiny arm, grabbing my attention.

It was the Prime's turn to ask, "How?"

"Back when that zombie 'Con he resurrected was trying to squish us!" She angrily pointed at me. "Bulk stepped right through me, like I was a ghost!"

"I didn't order it to!" I replied defensively and my voice rose to a shriek. "The brute's arm nearly terminated St–me!"

Raf adjusted his glasses, "He's telling the truth about that. He had to pry Skyquake's arm off his chest plate, I saw it. We all did." He gestured at his human counterparts.

I nodded accusingly, "It looked like you planned it!"

"How could they have?!" The warrior challenged.

"I know they did!" My voice was hysterical. "That smug look on Darby's face was proof enough! Speaking of humans, fetch me a towel." I brusquely pointed at Miko.

"Why?!" She shouted, beating Bulkhead to it. "You gonna strangle me with it?"

"Why do you think?" I shot back, flicking a small chunk of mud off my left pede.

"Bulkhead, Miko, please; he is not in his right mind." Prime ordered. She huffed, grumbling while hopping down the stairs two at a time. My wings flared up in anger and I sprang off the floor, but immediately regretted it. I swayed on my pedes and found myself leaning heavily against the side of the platform for support. A retort abruptly died on my glossa as my mouth went slack. I thought I might purge again, all the while loathing to look so ill in front of all my adversaries.

Everyone but the medic looked a bit uncomfortable and worried, unsure of how to react. "You need to lie down." Ratchet said sternly, moving to grab my arm as his medical instincts finally kicked in. "Do you want to go into shock?"

I waved him away, "I am fine! Besides, you are not my physician!"

"You clearly are not fine, and does that really matter!" It was a statement, not a question. Miko came back over and tossed me a large towel, then immediately dashed back up the stairs to the platform. I deftly caught it and began to swish all the mud and water off my chassis.

"Yeah, don't get your turbines in a twist, Scream." The green mech said.

"Why do you all suddenly care about my well-being? We aren't even on the same side, and last I checked, Arcee was ready to slit my throat for terminating her partner!"

"I believe the last time we checked, you made it clear that you belong to neither side. Or is that another deception?" Prime pressed.

"No–it's the truth, I swear on my spark!"

"Hmph. As if that means anything." Bulkhead rolled his optics. I balled my itching servos into fists.

"Bulkhead, please go fetch Arcee and bring her back here." the Prime ordered.

Huffing, the green mech transformed and drove out of the base in search of the femme.

"Thanks." I muttered, gingerly taking my weight off the wall.

He nodded, clapping a large servo over my shoulder which made my knees buckle, "Let us get you cleaned up."

"Think again if you're considering shoving me into some greasy human car wash." I spat, trying to slap off his servo. His grip was too tight.

"Your terrestrial mode would not fit inside one." He smiled. Actually smiled, as if we were friends, or allies. No, there was something else there too, deep in his optics. A trace of pity, hidden so deep in those azure orbs that it hardly registered. The nerve!

"DO NOT PITY ME!" I roared and my intakes hitched. Optimus released his condescending hold on my shoulder plate in favor of a worried expression as I doubled over in a fit of coughing, spitting up more water.

"Ever hear of a jet going through a car wash?" Jack chuckled as soon as he thought he was in the clear.

My voice dropped to a deathly whisper, "I told dear Agent Fowler this once before, and now I'm telling it to you. I hold no appreciation for human humor. Or humans, for that matter." My glare fell on Raf―what a stupid nickname―who slowly inched away beneath my stare.

Ratchet steered the conversation back on course. "The last thing he needs is to be doused in frigid water again!" He gestured angrily at my sodden frame as I proudly fanned my wings and patted them down with the towel.

[Ratch, you know it's not that cold.] The scout argued amiably.

"Don't call me that!" He snapped. "And one of these times it's bound to be." The old bot grumbled, "You never know with human technology."

The scout chirped in amusement at that.

"Hey, is our tech really so bad?" Miko protested, whipping out her pink flip phone and flipping it open. "See?! Say 'cheese'!" She pointed it at me without waiting for a response and a small white light flashed.

"What did you do?!" I drew myself up, trying to look as intimidating as possible. She giggled, ignoring me and staring intently at her phone's screen.

"Ha, look!" She shoved it at my faceplates. I stepped backwards in surprise, faced with a picture of my startled and flustered expression.

The other humans leaned in to see with Bumblebee, who whirred in laughter.

"Ha! Blackmail!" Jack chuckled.

"No one is blackmailing anyone." Prime declared.

"Aww, but Optimus–" Miko whined.

"My answer has not changed."

She let out an exaggerated groan and flipped it closed, stuffing it in a pocket.

Ratchet rolled his optics, "I would've liked to see some blackmail…"

* * *

All heads and helms snapped around as a loud ping rang out from the main terminal. Ratchet went to investigate.

"Is it 'Cons? Or Wheeljack?" Miko asked excitedly, pigtails bouncing as she leaned in towards the screen.

"A high-frequency signal, with an embedded message." The medic announced, his fingers flying over the console.

My tank plummeted, "From whom?"

"Starscream." Ratchet answered matter-of-factly. Raf gasped, and Bumblebee hurled questions at the medic. I just stared at the screen, dumbfounded. "But it's obviously a trick! Anyone with a working processor–or brain," he glanced at the humans, "could see that!"

"He's right here!" Jack pointed out, just in case anyone had failed to notice.

"Come on, what does it say?" Miko prodded.

"Hold on." The medic growled, clicking on a couple icons and then dragged a command across the screen. A message popped up next to a portrait photo of Starscream, frowning at the camera. He began to read it off slowly and methodically, like an excerpt from a textbook. "I see you have captured my counterpart." My wings dipped as he continued, "Return him to me and I will spare your lives."

"Short, sweet, and to the point." Miko growled. "Couldn't sound less like him." she quipped, resting her hands on her hips.

"Empty threat?" Jack suggested.

"Automated message?" Raf piped up.

[Yeah, how could he hurt us? He doesn't even know where our base is!] Bumblebee chuckled.

"Optimus? Should we respond?" Ratchet queried.

"Not yet, old friend." Prime answered. "It is best to learn more of Starscream's intentions." I quailed underneath his stare as his gaze locked onto mine. The roaring of two engines sounded from the tunnel exit. Bulkhead transformed and walked over to join Optimus, Arcee following shortly behind him.

"You're letting him have free range of our base!" She snarled and glared at me like I was the metal beneath her pedes, "Optimus, did he suddenly go soft and decide to join us out of the goodness of his spark?"

"On the contrary…" Ratchet pointed at the screen.

The pair read it, Arcee's optics narrowed and Bulkhead bashed his fists together. "I say we knock his lights out!" He growled, but Optimus held out an arm, stopping the other mech.

"Yeah, why exactly aren't you all pounding that sick face of his into the floor?!" Agent Fowler snarled.

"Because if this is a deception, Starscream's acting skills have improved tenfold." Optimus stated, locking his optics onto mine. I quickly averted my gaze, sick to my tank. He was right, I was visibly shivering again, but this time not from the cold, courtesy of the large towel draped over my shoulders.

"I-I swear–" My voice shook reedily, "I swear I didn't send that, I don't know what he's doing!"

"He?" Arcee questioned spitefully.

I tensed. "No! I mean–yes, uh…why does this have to be so complicated!" I shrieked. The towel slid off my shoulder plates and I didn't retrieve it. I stared up at them, too nervous to speak, slowly edging backward.

"Optimus, a word?" Ratchet asked.

The Prime looked skeptical, but nodded after a moment's hesitation. They both walked over to the corner of the room–well, a wall on the other side, taking the silo's circular shape into account.

"Listen," the medic hissed, subtly motioning to me with his helm, "if he loses it, we will never the get information we need."

"We will be gentler in our interrogation." Optimus rumbled in affirmation.

"See to it that you do. He's already cracking under the strain." The medic maintained defensively, now blatantly gesturing at me as his voice rose. "And given the tone of the message, we need to interrogate him swiftly!"

"Starscream is not a weak mech, Ratchet. He may act like it, but he is resilient if he has truly been able to withstand these millennia we have been fighting." Prime countered. I retrieved the towel off the floor and wrapped it snug around my shoulders and arms again in an attempt to hide my trembling.

"Everyone has their limits, Optimus. This could be a golden opportunity, and I will not, I repeat, NOT allow us to squander it." I glared at the medic, so much for speaking in my defense.

I pulled the towel tighter, clearing my throat loudly. "I admit it." My voice was raspy, more than usual. The two mechs walked back over as all helms and heads swiveled back around to face me.

"Please, enlighten us." Optimus' tone was indeed gentler, but that did nothing to pacify me. Ratchet and Arcee impatiently crossed their arms over their chest plates.

My mouth ran dry, "I didn't send that."

"Oh, then who did?" Arcee pressed, unfolding her arms.

"Starscream." I muttered near-unintelligibly.

"What did I tell you?!" Ratchet glared at Optimus. "I don't know who he thinks he is, but oh, there certainly is something loose!" He rapped his knuckles against his helm, clang, clang, clang.

"If you don't stop calling my sanity into question, I really will lose it!" I spat, feeling my wings snap up.

"Ha! Sounds to me like you already have!" Bulkhead scoffed, earning a glare from Ratchet.

"Please elaborate." Optimus pried patiently.

Starscream is going to terminate me. I thought feverishly. Then again, he did bring this upon himself by sending that stupid message!

"I…"

"Yes?" The Prime leaned forward slightly.

I swallowed nervously, briefly meeting all their optics before continuing, "… did not send that message."

"We heard you the first seventeen times." The femme griped.

"And I am, as a matter of fact, not Starscream." I added weakly.

"Definitely has blown a gasket." Bulkhead muttered.

"I'm not deaf!"

"Go on." Optimus urged, giving Bulkhead a look.

"I… um, well…" I struggled to place words to my muddle of thoughts. The Prime still patiently watched and listened.

I took a deep intake, collecting my thoughts. I had to use extreme caution with my next word choices. "Starscream…" Optimus nodded encouragingly as I grit my denta to get the words out. "cloned himself with a protoform–" A few of my audience gasped in surprise and disbelief. Words came easier. "One of six, I was a prototype model, stowed away in a storage section of a laboratory. I know that from his memories–"

"Wait, you're saying Screamer has access to that kind of tech!?" Bulkhead exclaimed.

"You share his memories?" Ratchet added incredulously.

"Yes and yes." I looked down, clinging to the towel.

"Say we believe you," Arcee said, "What did he call you? Or did you name yourself?" The femme asked, still looking openly hostile. Optimus Prime laid a servo over my left shoulder again, but in a comforting manner rather than a firm one. He surely felt how badly I was trembling.

Get a grip! I snarled in my thoughts. Things could be worse.

A sarcastic voice spoke up inside my helm, Yes, you could be defenseless, weak, and trapped in the enemy's base–oh wait!

"Shut up." I hissed.

"Pardon?"

"Wha–" I jerked out of my stupor, staring the Prime straight in the optics. "Seven. Just call me Seven if you must." Optimus let go of my shoulder.

"Hey," Miko stage-whispered, leaning over the edge of the platform. I looked up, meeting her eyes.

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

"Why was six afraid of seven?"

I blinked, "How does this take precedent–"

"Because seven eight nine!" The other humans and Ratchet gave her exasperated looks.

"Miko, this is not the time." Optimus said sternly.

She huffed, "C'mon, no one loves the classics anymore."

[This is beyond weird.] Bumblebee stated simply.

"You said it, Bee." Raf agreed and relayed the scout's message to the other humans at their questioning.

"Why did he send you?" The Prime asked, compelled by his curiosity. "Is he unfit to confront us himself?"

"Unwell, even?" Ratchet prodded.

I chortled derisively, unable to help myself. "No one 'sent' me anywhere, but you could say that he's unwell… in a manner of speaking."

"Seven?" Raf asked tentatively. I blinked up at him. "What's wrong with Starscream?"

"A… few things coupled with sheer bad luck. Why should I indulge my enemies?" My gaze fell on Arcee.

"Don't worry, we'll use force if we have to." she growled.

I eyed her warily, "You won't have to."

"Can you give specifics? What if we can help?" Jack asked.

"Why would he help them?" Arcee spat.

"Still harboring a grudge, are we?" I grumbled. They looked at me expectantly, and I shook my helm vigorously, "You can't help this. Unless you can bring us Megatron's severed servo."

The human rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "I see what you mean."

"Where did he acquire the resources and technology to clone you?" Ratchet inquired, abruptly changing the subject.

"And why would I tell you?" I snapped.

"Because you have no other options." The medic's tone was steelier than his armor.

"Yeah! Where's that stiletto-heeled creep hiding?" Bulkhead growled. I glared at at the larger mech as he glanced at my pedes, realizing his mistake too late. I ripped the towel off and wadded it up, then chucked it at him. He caught it and let it fall to the floor at his pedes.

"Bulkhead, Arcee, Bumblebee, it would be best to leave the interrogation to us for the moment." Optimus gestured where Ratchet stood beside him.

They both looked ready to protest but Miko interrupted them, saving the day. "Hey, Bulk! Let's check out this monster truck rally on TV! I heard that they're bringing in a tank!" She raced over to the small television set and turned it on. It was already tuned to the right channel, judging by the cries of spectators and sounds of metal clashing. Bulkhead trotted over to join her, Arcee reluctantly trailing behind him.

"Will you please turn that down?!" Ratchet yelped.

"Sorry, doc." Miko fiddled with the remote and the volume fell to a whisper.

He muttered something about time-wasters and turned back to face me. "Well?"

"Well what?" I asked nervously.

"Starscream's base! Where is it?"

I looked to Optimus but was met with an unreadable stare.

"It is–"

"WOO!" Miko yelled. "Did you see that orange truck flatten the grey one?!" She shrieked excitedly, grinning and pointing at the television screen.

"Will you please keep it down over there!" Ratchet snarled.

"… on Earth." I announced dramatically, waving my arms for emphasis.

"Of course it is!" The medic spat.

"Why do you care?"

"Could it be because he threatened to terminate us!"

"I don't know anything about that!"

"Oh yeah? Then how did you possibly manage to find the location of our base?" Ratchet accused.

"I didn't! I haven't a clue where we are, other than it's in some desert!" I protested, fully aware that we stood in the belly of a former missile silo outside Jasper, Nevada. I had paid close attention to the road signs that blurred by beneath me when I flew here. "I ran through one of the ground bridges and the next thing I knew, I woke up here!"

Bulkhead looked up from the television, "You were awake when Bee and I brought you inside!"

"More or less," I grumbled. "I think 'semiconscious' is better suited."

Bumblebee joined in as well, confirming the green mech's words. "What!?" I feigned innocence, "I don't remember that!" And it wasn't entirely false, my memories of that incident were muddled, understandably, considering the condition I was in. And am still recovering from. "Why don't you just hand me over to Starscream and we all can happily pretend this little…" I refrained from some unsavory word choices, "occurrence never happened."

"Again, the issue of your knowledge of our base's location remains." Optimus stated.

"You can move." I hissed, "What use is it to me anyway?"

"Ha! You admit it!" Ratchet exclaimed.

My optics widened, "I–no! I do not in the slightest!" I shouted indignantly, springing to my pedes once again to face him. Before he could respond, another ping sounded out.

"Again?" Arcee asked, joining in once more.

"A high frequency signal–" Ratchet began to say as Miko interrupted him.

"Lemme guess, with an embedded message? From Starscream?" The medic nodded, clearly annoyed at the girl's interruption. "Whoa, totally didn't see that coming."

Ratchet bent over the console again, "All it says is: You have five minutes, I would hurry." The medic's tone grew distinctly more somber. "And it contains a set of coordinates. That's it."

"Definitely a trap." Arcee growled.

"Yeah, all this talking is giving me itchy fists." Bulkhead added, bashing his together for the millionth time. I reflexively jumped at the loud noise, spinning away from the console to snarl in his faceplates.

"Do that again and I swear on the Pit I will end you."

"What's your problem, Sev?" He lumbered closer to me.

"Do not call me that, or I will–"

"Oh? I don't think you're in the best position to be making threats."

"Be quiet for a moment so I can send a reply!" Ratchet growled.

I slowly backed up in silence, and when I thought no one was looking, made a mad dash for the exit.

[Not so fast!] Bumblebee grabbed me from behind.

Furious and terrified, I transformed and tried to blast my thruster but it refused to ignite. Still too waterlogged. "What! No… no, no!" I shrieked, falling to the floor as the scout released me, transforming back into my robot mode. I flipped onto my back, panting hard and stared up at the Autobots clustered around me with pure terror on my faceplates. The scout's blasters were trained on my helm.

"Seven, no one's going to hurt you!" Raf placated.

Optimus nodded. The other bots looked a little uncomfortable and hesitated, save for Bumblebee. He transformed his blasters away but still kept an optic on me.

[Hey Ratch, what does your message to Scream say?] Judging by Ratchet's peeved expression, he hated the nicknames as much as I did.

"I simply told him to stay put; we will arrive at the given coordinates shortly." The medic looked up at Optimus, "With your consent, of course."

The Prime drew himself up, "Go ahead."

Ratchet harshly punched the "send" button.

"What did that button ever to to you?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

Ratchet only rolled his optics and turned to face the other Autobots once more. I rose to my pedes, flicking some nonexistent dust off a large shoulder plate in a vain attempt to salvage some dignity.

"Shall we?" I gestured to the bridge.

Optimus took the lead, Arcee and Bumblebee in tow. I trailed after them at a more or less comfortable distance, mostly just wanting to stay away from the unpredictable femme.

I let out a gasp of surprise as I suddenly found myself on the floor of their base.

"Aww, I should've gotten that!" Miko groaned, fiddling with her cell phone.

"Are you alright?" Ratchet asked, more out of instinct than genuine concern.

I waved him away and growled, "I'm fine. I disentangled the towel from my heel struts and lashed forward, flinging it across the room. "Hopefully that green oaf slips on it…"

The green mech didn't even look up from the television, "I heard that."

The medic huffed in disapproval and ushered me through the bridge behind the others. _So much for salvaging dignity._ I thought as I flicked a scrap of fabric off my servo and reluctantly followed through the bridge.

 _Starscream, you better know what you're doing._

* * *

 **A/N: Who here thinks Starscream knows what he's doing? *cheep cheep cheep* Okay...**


	18. 17 - Canada

XVII - Canada

Will and I couldn't help but stare at the waiting ground bridge that the Autobots had sent after their message. Our sneakers―Will had changed out of his soggy Converse―crunched on the dead leaves as we walked around impatiently, rubbing our arms to try to keep some warmth in a remote corner of a Canadian forest. We were nestled in a small clearing, which from the sky, looked like a bullet hole through the greenery.

"I hope no one catches us without passports." I chuckled as we surveyed the beautiful panoramic view. "Wish my phone wasn't soaked, I could've sent pictures… _To Mom, from Canada. Beautiful. Wish you were here._ "

"What? Canadians are really polite, last I checked. And who would find us? Lumberjacks?" He snorted. "And for the record, your mom would faint if she saw any of the bots."

"She would not!" I protested, but honestly wanted to say "challenge accepted." Instead, I halfheartedly muttered about stereotypes as my thoughts drifted elsewhere like the picturesque clouds above. Thankfully it wasn't raining. At Starscream's instructioning, we planted a few homemade, fresh-from-the-oven energon bombs atop the Autobot base, after reluctantly revealing its location. Explosive rocks are seriously awesome. The first message he had sent was more of an empty threat than anything, being that he only possessed a meager amount of energon. The bombs would only make a loud noise. Speaking of, he remained behind at the _Harbinger_ , and our only way of communicating was via walkie talkie as the signal was projected through the ground bridge from which we came. An arrangement he didn't seem too fond of.

"What is taking them!?" The Seeker snarled through the radio.

I fished it out of my pocket and pressed it to the side of my face, "Traffic?"

My friend looked around at the surrounding forest in the corner of my vision, squinting as if looking at something far away. "Yeah, it's backed up for miles, I don't think they're ever going to get here in time."

Starscream growled in reply beneath a crackle of static. I shut the radio off for the moment, "The signal isn't coming through very well." We jerked to attention as another bridge spiraled into existence. "Close it!" I hissed back into the radio as Will stepped in front of me to provide a little cover. "Close the bridge, _now_!" Starscream complied, and the bridge vanished.

I stepped out from behind my friend to be afforded a better view. Not a second later, the massive form of Optimus Prime came through the new bridge first, followed by Arcee, Bumblebee, and last but not least, Seven. He looked a bit uncomfortable, reluctantly dragging his pedes, the damp surfaces of his armor glittering in the afternoon light. The ground bridge closed behind them.

"Why's he wet?" Will whispered to me.

"It was raining there, remember?" I whispered back.

"Ugh, don't remind me," he shivered. Our hair was still damp. Starscream had to bridge us back to my house for a couple minutes so we could slip into some dry clothes. All my socks had mysteriously vanished, so I ended up with some of Melody's… almost exclusively featuring Dora's face. Ew. But my pride wasn't too wounded; I wore long pants and on top of that, Will hadn't seen because I made him change in my closet. That's what friends are for: shoving into closets so your mom doesn't find out you're working with aliens and ask hard questions, potentially starting a global crisis like WWIII.

Will waved at said aliens excitedly, "Hi!", having already forgotten about not wanting to meet them.

"Oh, great, two more to ship back to base. Just what do you think you're doing?" Arcee sighed in annoyance. I felt dwarfed by all the mechs and femme. Even though Arcee was the shortest of them all, she easily stood ten feet taller than I did.

Seven's optics met my eyes and a flicker of recognition flashed across his features.

Bumblebee beeped out a question, raising his servos.

"What? We can't unders–"

"He asked if Seven knew you two." Arcee relayed coldly. "He wasn't talking to you."

"Yeah, we know him!" Will jumped in and she sighed. "We're S–" I elbowed him.

I drew myself up to my full height, facing Optimus. "We're Starscream's… ambassadors."

"Is that so?" Arcee glowered. "Why would Starscream ever work with humans? Especially when he could face us himself?"

"We've helped him." Will pointed out, looking slighted.

"What ails him?" The Prime questioned.

"Uh–how do you know something's wrong?" I glanced over at Seven, who was giving me a look that clearly said he would tear my mouth off if I uttered another word about it.

"We don't." Will finished, catching on. The Seeker's wings fluttered. "St-Starscream's fine."

"Why did he threaten our base?" Optimus pried.

Will and I exchanged a tacit glance, intimidated. "We thought you were torturing Seven." I finally said.

"I'm fine!" The silver mech snapped a bit too defensively, wings fluttering.

The scout whirred something in question.

"Well, I'm fine now!" he spat. "What does it matter to you?"

"What did he say?" I butted in. "Sorry, but we don't speak 'bleep.'"

"Seven was–" Optimus cast a look at the Seeker as if searching for the right word, "… unwell earlier."

"How many times do I have to repeat myself?!" Seven snapped. "I. Am. Fine! Never better!" Arcee rolled her optics as if to say "Yeah, right."

"Are you coming?" Will asked him impatiently. "You can fill us in later."

"No one is going anywhere until we have your word that you will immediately remove whatever is endangering our base." Optimus said, looking down at us with an expression that was all-business.

"I haven't the foggiest idea." Seven muttered.

"No one asked you." Arcee hissed.

"Can't you two just chill?" Will asked. "We're not getting anything done while you're bickering." I nodded in agreement.

Bumblebee beeped something and Optimus relayed it instantly: "He has a point."

Arcee still glared at Seven, who returned the favor. "Don't think for a second that I don't still hate you." she growled.

"The feeling is mutual." He spat haughtily. "But the human is right."

I looked at Seven for approval. "Are you sure…"

"Get on with it."

Will shifted his body so he faced me. I cleared my throat, "Will and I," I gestured at him, "we planted four small energon bombs on the top of your base–"

"Are you saying you know our base's location!?" Arcee asked dubiously.

I fiddled with a tie on my sweatshirt nervously, "Maybe?"

"But we haven't done anything else! Promise." Will assured them, smiling innocently in the same way he would before a teacher said "Detention."

"How did you manage this?" Optimus asked, optics narrowed.

I shrugged,"Right after you captured Seven for the first time, Scream bridged us to a nearby location and we followed you and Arcee the rest of the way."

"You're lying!" she accused. "No one followed us."

"Not literally following you." He cleared up, "But Starscream bridged us back after we got a fix on your coordinates. We tracked you from there."

Bumblebee asked something, and Optimus translated again. "Where?"

"Nowhere!" Will covered.

"He means… the _Nemesis_." I improvised.

"He joined back up with the 'Cons again?" They all looked skeptical, save for Seven. The Seeker just looked angry.

"No. They would not let him back, unable to–" He stopped, crimson optics widening as he realized that he'd said too much.

"Se–" Optimus began to ask before I broke in.

I abruptly tried to change the subject and clapped my hands together. "You know, how about we go disarm those bombs and call it a day?"

"This is far from over." Optimus stated, transforming. The yellow and blue bots followed suit.

"Hop on." The femme sounded less than enthused.

"Please tell me it isn't still raining." Will griped.

"You'll see." I could hear a smirk in Arcee's tone.

"Do I not have a say in this?" Seven protested, walking over to our side of the clearing. I noticed he wasn't cuffed or restrained in any other way, physically, anyhow. Who knew what the 'Bots did to him.

"No." Optimus replied, then activated his comm unit. "Ratchet, we need a bridge." One appeared maybe fifty feet away.

Maybe it was the sun in my eyes, but I saw Seven subtly motion to us. I cocked my head in a question.

"You can smell the roses back at base." Arcee said. "Let's go. That means you too, Seven." She flashed her headlights at him before driving through the bridge. Optimus had already went through but Bumblebee stayed behind, waiting for us three to go first.

"Kinda scant security." I muttered.

Without warning, Seven lunged forwards and grabbed us roughly, the edges of his razor-sharp fingers digging into my side. I gasped, confident he was going to hurt or even kill us. Will yelped, struggling against his iron grip. Bumblebee whirled, spinning around in his terrestrial form so fast that the smell of burnt rubber soon permeated the piney air.

But suddenly the pressure released as we were flung high into the air. I gasped again and twisted around as Seven sprang up and transformed around us. A flurry of moving metal surrounded Will and I for a second, and then I found myself reclining in a more or less comfortable one-person seat; being that Will was stuffed right behind me with his elbow in my ear. I stared up through a thick, tinted glass window in shock.

No, not a window. _Cockpit_.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Seven muttered. "Hang on!" His voice echoed in around in his cockpit, sounding like it came more from surround-sound speakers than a mouth. Maybe it did in his jet mode.

I saw a flash of yellow as Seven blasted his thruster and we were thrown back in the seat. My stomach lurched and I pressed my face against the cool glass, craning my neck for a better view. The world lurched upwards. I heard Bumblebee beep and whir in staccato shouts as he transformed, running after us below. But we were already well out of his reach.

Will whooped in victory, trying to raise his arms. I yelped as his elbow dug deeper. "Watch it!"

"Sorry." He replied unapologetically, still grinning.

I rubbed my ear, looking back out the glass again just as a streak of blue blurred past the cockpit. But then I leaned forwards, pressing my face against the glass. "What was that?"

"That blasted scout is shooting at us!" Seven growled, swerving to the right to avoid one of Bumblebee's shots at his left wing.

"Well then step on it!" Will gasped, looking out the other side. He sounded more excited than fearful, however. I would have rolled my eyes. We were thrown back into the seat once again and shot through a cloud. Seven did a barrel roll in victory, causing my stomach to as well.

"Could you warn us next time before you do that?" I asked as we leveled out and popped out of the top of the cloud.

"Do it again!" Will begged. I hesitated a second before agreeing.

We fell sideways as he skimmed the tip of his right wing in the cloud layer beneath us. We pressed our noses flat against the glass as a breathtaking view appeared of a sea of clouds. Snowy mountain peaks surfaced as white islands off in the distance, streaked with brown.

And suddenly we dropped like a stone. His nose pitched towards the ground as we rapidly gained momentum. It felt like we raced down a rollercoaster, except that there weren't rails to keep us in place.

"What are you doing?!" I yelled. Without answering, he reignited his thruster and we skimmed less than a foot above the ground.

"This is awesome!" Will shouted, hurting my ears in a different way.

We re-entered the clearing for a second before plunging into the trees again and a thought struck me. "Hey!" I yelled over his engine. "Where did Bumblebee go?"

"Back to their base?" Seven suggested, soaring above the trees again. "If you had really bothered looking, you would have found the Autobots' bridge is long since gone."

"How can you even see?"

"The same way I failed to hit any trees." There was a definite smirk in his tone.

"I wouldn't call not hitting trees at a hundred miles an hour a failure." Will pointed out. I couldn't agree more, seeing as we were flying so fast that the forest was just a blur beside us.

"Um, don't we need flight suits or something? I don't want my brain leaking out my ears." I asked the jet nervously.

He huffed, "Please. Did you really think that my jet mode equal to that of a pathetic human aircraft? I pressurized the cabin, you will be fine if you stop complaining."

"Sounds like all systems are go," Will grinned, "let's hit some g's!"

"Don't tempt me. Besides, Starscream will want us back at the _Harbinger_ , surely. And for your information, we're skimming at four-hundred thirty." Will whistled in admiration.

"But he's not here, so we don't know what he would want." I smirked, disregarding that last bit of information.

Seven coughed, "Is that so?"

"Right… clone…"

Will laughed at that, "I think Seven's got a pretty good idea, but what's the rush? Why not have some fun along the way?"

"I can live with that." Seven agreed.

He performed a couple narrow corkscrews, making it a chore to distinguish the ground from the sky. We both whooped, despite the fact that I felt a bit queasy.

Will urged the jet to go faster, "Oliver, are you sure you aren't touching the controls?"

I gestured at all the reddish-purple screens in front of me, "I don't even know what a quarter of this stuff is, except that none of it looks like standard controls of an airplane, according to Wikipedia." I replied. He shrugged, his elbow digging into my ear.

"Of course it doesn't! And if you so much as lay a greasy finger on anything, you will deeply regret it." The jet hissed. "If this were any other circumstance, we would be walking."

"It's hard to take you seriously when I can't see your face." I smirked.

He banked around a steep cliff, then flew straight up the side of it and into the cloud layer again. And then abruptly transformed, holding each of us in a servo. My eyes widened.

He positioned himself so his faceplates neared my face as we entered free fall. "Will this do?"

"Uh, hate to break up your chat… but we're going to be flapjacks any second now!" Will was right, the ground was rushing up to meet us.

"Seven!" I yelled.

He transformed back into a jet at the last possible second and we both were stuffed in the cockpit again as he smoothly glided over the ground before beginning to fly south. I was in the back this time, and it started to make a crick in my neck. I felt a small twinge of sympathy for Will.

"Why did you do that?!" I asked irritably.

"So you take me, and all this seriously." he said coldly. "Were you not the least bit useful, I would not have caught you."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Will, are you Canadian?" I asked, wincing as the tense silence shattered.

"A bit." He replied. "My grandma's from Alberta, and she met my grandpa in Saskatchewan. He's not from there though."

"Then if we fell, you'd be the only flapjack. Not as cool as a Cybertronian pancake though."

Seven huffed.

"I'm hungry." he smiled. "Hey Sev, you don't happen to have a flight attendant in storage that would serve us cruddy, overpriced root beer if we asked?"

The jet snorted derisively, "Do I _look_ like a commercial airliner? And don't call me that! Starscream gets enough of the nicknames as it is!"

"I'm sure Will here didn't mean to offend you." I kicked him.

"Y-yeah! I was just kidding around. No hard feels." He gave me a really exaggerated wink.

"You're an idiot."

"Let's just enjoy the view. I mean, how often do we get to do this!"

"Never again." Seven assured. "Try to get comfortable, it is going to be a long flight," he added sarcastically.

Will groaned. "Why can't we just bridge there?"

"Starscream!" He said, presumably into a comm. "If you are listening, I am requesting a ground bridge."

Nothing other than white noise replied. He cut the link, snarling in frustration, "The Autobots must have done something to my comm unit! That blasted Ratchet–"

I pulled out my walkie talkie, "What about this? Could you boost the signal?"

"Set it on the ledge to your right." I did as he instructed, worming my arm out from behind my back to reach the narrow ledge he spoke of. I was careful to avoid tripping any switches. As I set it down, a small, spidery mechanical arm popped out of a crevice and stabbed it with a blue light. I watched, wide-eyed as it retreated, leaving behind a smoking, charred object that vaguely resembled the radio. "The only communication you could do with such a rudimentary piece of technology is throw it at someone you aren't fond of." he said as I gaped at it, "That does tend to send a clear message." My friend guffawed at that.

* * *

A few hours later, coupled with loop-de-loops, barrel rolls, and corkscrews at Will's pleading—plus a few threats to eject us—we arrived at the crash site of our half of the _Harbinger_.

Seven flew through the arch and landed among the stones, popping open his cockpit to allow us to clamber out. The torrential rain had stopped, which was a relief, but the ground was still wet.

"Don't put your pede on the missile!" He screeched as I slid off his wing.

I lifted my foot as I realized he was talking to me, "Sorry," and slid down, "wait, 'pede'?"

"Foot." Will corrected.

"Same difference." Seven transformed, taking the lead. We had to run to keep up with his long strides.

"Have you made any progress with the shrink ray?" He asked.

"Nada." I answered.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt but I just thought of something." Will said as we walked into the _Harbinger_.

"You might as well speak now." Seven grumbled.

"Did either of you get the impression that the 'Bots let us go?"

"No. Why?" I asked. Seven looked at him broodingly, as if naming each of his facial features.

"You may have a point," he mused, "this time around they did not bother fitting me with stasis cuffs and a clamp over my wings again. And permitting me to leave their base when it was unnecessary…"

Will and I exchanged a glance. "If they let us go, do you think they could have done something to you?" I asked.

"They did disable my comm link, but of course, it would have been too obvious if I had just called for a bridge and they halfheartedly shot at me."

"Bumblebee's attempt didn't seem halfhearted, Sev."

"Don't call me that!" The Seeker snarled as we turned a corner and entered the main bridge. "But you have a point."

"Have a point about what?" Starscream asked, turning around to face us from the monitor. It looked like he was tracing an energon signature.

"Hi!" Will waved happily.

Starscream ignored him, "I see you are intact, Seven." He said smugly.

"Do not be so sure," Seven warned, "The humans and I just were discussing it, and it seems more and more like the Autobots let us go."

"How could they?!" Starscream scoffed, "That's absurd!"

"For one, they took me out of their base to meet the humans." Seven said.

"Yes, I'm listening." He tapped a pede with impatience.

"They also neglected to put any… restraints such as a clamp over my wings or at least cuffs binding my wrists like last time."

"Last time?" The Seeker's crimson optics narrowed and flickered in irritation.

"They captured me in the human city―Los Angeles, was it? Anyhow, I managed to free myself in the shadow zone… until they caught me again atop their base."

"Are you telling me that you are so incompetent that you allowed yourself to be captured by the enemy not once, but twice!" Starscream snarled, stalking towards his clone.

"You misunderstand! Optimus Prime saved my life in Los Angeles!" Seven protested. "A building crumbled on top of me!"

"And the second time? Did you try to join them? Or was there another structurally unstable building?"

"The only thing with any structural instability is you." The clone muttered.

"I'm not deaf!" The little robot shrieked.

"Sev, you also insulted yourself there too." Will pointed out to Seven, chortling.

"That is beside the point. And so help me Primus, if you call me that one more time, _human_ , I will end you." He snapped, kicking the shrink ray. "This better have been worth the trouble I went through to get it."

"Don't tell me Megatron had a… _word_ with you." Starscream raised an eyebrow.

"Knock Out had to pick glass shards out of my cockpit's interior."

"Should I be worried about what I was sitting on?" I asked nervously. Will and I instantly began a thorough examination of our pants.

"The medic did an admirable job," Seven huffed, "however… I have to strongly disagree with his methods." His expression darkened. We didn't press the him, but I still twisted around to see if I had any miniscule glass fragments stuck in my pants. One can't be too careful.

"The ray is inoperable without the CNA of the mech that first made contact with it." Starscream finally answered.

"And that would be Megatron." Seven's wings sank at the news. "I refuse to return to that infernal ship!"

Will and I exchanged a glance again. "What did he do to you?" My friend piped up.

"I would rather not discuss it." He growled, breaking eye–optic contact.

Starscream wore a smug look that said: _At least it wasn't me._

Slowly, little pieces of an idea fell into place inside my head. Words came out of my mouth before I even knew what I was saying, "I'll go."


	19. 18 - Team Scream

XVIII - Team Scream

Will stopped Seven and I from interrupting before our mouths were even open. "Hold up. Before we go hand the 'Cons their afts, I want to eat something. Pancakes, maybe? We haven't had anything in forever!"

"We just arrived here!" Seven protested.

"Really, I was completely unaware." Oliver smirked, "And Will, you read my mind. Pancakes for dinner sounds like a dream come true."

Seven turned to face me, sighing, "Why Canada?"

"Because it's nowhere near here." I pointed out, gesturing to map to prove my point.

"Can you just bridge us back to my house for a moment, please?" Oliver asked. "We'll only be gone for thirty minutes—maybe an hour."

"I haven't refueled either since–" Seven started to say.

"Oh, now you are siding with them!" I growled, "We have important work to do!" I pointed to the shrink ray on the floor.

"Yes, we do," he agreed, wings fluttering, "but it isn't going anywhere. We all shall refuel, including you," he crossed his arms at me, "and then reconvene."

"Are you trying to undermine my authority?"

He only smirked, "I do share your insatiable thirst for power."

"Hello!" Will jumped in. "The only thing I'm thirsting for is some syrup! So if you don't mind, I'll be bacon my pancakes." Oliver laughed at the pun but Seven only rolled his optics, and I was too occupied inputting the correct coordinates on a console to care enough. Will walked towards the ground bridge remote, but Seven snatched it up, dangling it tantalizingly out of the human's reach.

I opened a ground bridge a few feet away, "There is your exit. Now leave us in peace." Oliver turned around before entering the bridge to look at me, again. "What is it this time?"

"Can we have a team name?" He asked, smirking. "The Autobots are Team Prime, and the Decepticons–"

"Should be my devoted servants." I finished under my vocalizer.

Will laughed at that, "A team name sounds like a cool idea." He stopped in front of the bridge.

"Who said we are a team?" I growled.

"Look around," Oliver replied, waving his arms. "Team Scream!"

They both erupted in laughter, walking through the bridge.

"It does rhyme." Seven argued.

"I don't care if it could terminate Megatron!" I snarled. "We are not having some–"

"Suit yourself, but I rather like it." My clone smirked.

"You wouldn't if it had your most hated nickname in it!" I closed the bridge angrily, punching a button.

"Shall we refuel then?" He abruptly switched topics, gesturing to the hall with a sweep of his arm.

"You read my mind." I growled.

* * *

"Where have you two been?" My mom asked. "It's not like you to just run off, Oliver."

I gathered my thoughts, dusting off my jacket before replying. What I finally said was: "We were going to hang at Tony's." Will looked uncomfortable.

"Really? Because I thought they were vacationing in Australia."

"W-well, we were biking," Will began, "but we got caught in the rain and turned around." I shot him a look and mouthed _nice save_.

Mom glanced away, ruffling her hair. Will gave me another look that said: _no problem_.

"Can we have pancakes for dinner?" He asked, breaking the tense silence.

"For dinner?" She asked like it was a crime. "What did you eat for lunch?"

"Hunger." Will muttered.

"Fine. I'll see what I can whip up." She spun on her heel and walked downstairs.

"Where's your dad?" Will casually asked me as we descended to the kitchen.

"Away at another business meeting in… what, Duluth? I replied, calling down to Mom.

"Yes, Minnesota. I made him pack sweaters." She smiled.

Will and I traded a knowing look. "I bet it's pret-ty cold up there." He said.

"You bet?" I made it sound like a question, having to nearly bite my tongue to keep from laughing.

My mom pulled a carton of eggs out of the fridge, "So, what have you two been doing all day?" She made it sound nonchalant.

"We were just," I searched for the right words, "… flying around." I earned a grin from Will when my mom's back was turned as she dug into the fridge.

She pulled a green, plastic container out of the back, swirling its contents around inside. "I don't even know what this is, the label's worn off!" The murky contents sloshed against the walls. It couldn't have looked less like food.

"Was." Will corrected.

She let out a light laugh, tossing it into the trash. I saw its lid as it plopped into the trash, recognizing it. "Hey, that was my tadpole collection!"

"From like, what, six years ago?" Will snorted.

Mom shook her head in revulsion, "I didn't need to know its age."

"It was a school project in…" I thought for a moment, "fourth grade.

"We're about to eat, you know." Mom pointed out, making a face. "Were you really going to Tony's?" She plopped the carton down on the kitchen counter.

I hated lying to my mother. Or to anyone, really, which I guessed was ironic considering everything Will and I were doing with Starscream. I hung my head a little, "No. But we were safe, and with friends. Don't worry." I met her eyes again, putting on a small, innocent-looking smile. Will mimicked my expression.

"I know that look," she accused, "you two did something with those 'friends,' didn't you?"

Will took us by surprise, facing me with a serious expression. "Can we talk for a second?"

"I don't see why not, just make it quick." She waved us off, pulling a tub of flour out of a cabinet. "Go ahead and conspire by yourselves."

I ushered my friend up to my room again, closing the door quietly. The lock clicked.

"What?"

"Should we tell her?" He asked, his voice just above a whisper.

"Wh–no! Besides, we don't have proof!" He looked like he was about to protest, but I stopped him, not wanting to waste my momentum. "And even if we tried to tell her about Screamer or Seven or _something_ , we'd be in a mental ward faster than you can say 'scrap!'"

"Jack told _his_ mom."

"Because she was about to be killed!" My voice jumped up a pitch. Will shushed me for a second, cocking his head to listen.

"Swore I heard something… _hmph_. Maybe we should just bridge her to the _Harbinger_ and see how it goes from there."

I chuckled, "She'd get lost in the maze of hallways."

"No kidding."

"You're one to talk, I had to practically drag you everywhere."

"Maybe we should make a map."

I snorted, "GPS."

He steered the conversation back on course, "I can tell you hate lying to her. I do too."

I shrugged ruefully, "We do what we need to do."

"Spoken like a true 'Con." He crossed his arms and frowned.

"We aren't 'Cons, for one, we're human, and for two, we're already called 'Team Scream.'" I reasoned. "Besides… even if we could be 'Cons, it's not like we could just mail Megatron a résumé."

"Now weird pictures are popping up in my head."

"Let's not." I agreed with a smirk, shaking my head. "I'd love to tell Mom—that would be a huge weight off all our shoulders, and it'd be better to have someone else in on this."

"Is Melody not a person?" He asked innocently.

"She didn't get it when she met Starscream, she's too young. Let's just hope she doesn't remember it when she's older."

My friend nodded. Suddenly my mom burst into the room. "What is going on here?!" She asked, her eyes narrowing as she firmly planted her hands on her hips. So that was what Will heard in the hallway outside my door.

I blanched, "W-w-what?!"

"How much did you hear?" Will was to-the-point, as ever.

"Enough." She replied coldly, "The _Harbinger_? Who is Seven? And 'Cons? Please tell me this isn't some _Transformers_ cult you've fallen into!" asking in a no-nonsense tone.

"Uh…" I looked to Will for help.

"We–uh, we're trying out code words!" my friend covered.

"Yeah," I joined in, "for a school project."

"Oliver, stay here." She ordered, jabbing her finger at the floor for emphasis. "Will, come with me. We're calling your parents."

"But–"

"No!" She snapped. Will followed her out, a silent plea on his face. _Be honest_ , I mouthed. He nodded slightly, gently pulling the door closed behind him as if it would explode if it was moving faster than an inch per second.

* * *

"How about we talk this over first?" Will's voice floated up from downstairs through my closed door to my ears as I paced back and forth across my room. The space seemed a lot smaller than I would have liked now that I was stuck.

"We can after I have a talk with your parents."

"They don't know anything!" He protested.

"Oh, so you're hiding this from your parents now too?" She shot back accusingly.

"No! I-I mean, yes… sort of—can we get Oliver down here?"

"OLIVER!" she yelled for me.

I flung my door open and hopped down the stairs two at a time. "Hey, can we go back upstairs for a second?" I asked.

Will cocked his head as she faced me, mouthing: _What are you doing?_

 _Just follow my lead._ I mouthed back.

"What did you say?!" She snapped again.

"Can you… just come back to my room for a second?" I repeated.

"This better be good." She growled. "When we're done talking, you're grounded for a year."

Will raised an eyebrow. "You first." I told him, stepping out of the way to the stairs.

He shrugged, walking up. Mom and I followed straight behind him, after she set her cell phone down on the egg carton.

We entered my room and my mother leaned against the window pane, intently staring out it. "Well?" She asked impatiently, not turning to look at us.

I snatched the walkie talkie off my dresser where I had set it, next to a mauled tissue box. "Now!" I shouted into it, not bothering to whisper. A ground bridge appeared in front of my closet. "I apologize in advance!" I shouted again as Will pulled her through from behind before she even realized what was happening. Right after he had pulled her through, I hurriedly grabbed my Starscream costume. I would need it later.

* * *

I sipped at my energon cube, lost in thought. Then looked down at Starscream, who had his own, smaller cube. "Have the humans been bearable?"

"Hardly," he huffed, "wouldn't you know?"

"Why would I?" I asked, not knowing quite what he meant.

"Before you left," he enunciated each syllable, "you made it clear that you share my memories, thoughts, and emotions."

"Yes I did." I replied cautiously, unsure of where this was leading.

"So then, wouldn't you have known already?" He tapped a finger on the side of his cube.

"Come to think of it, no." I replied, taking another sip. "Other than the fact that I possess your memories prior to my cloning, I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary."

My double hummed lightly, "Are you suggesting we do not share the connection we had anticipated?"

"I assume so."

"Maybe because you were the prototype, or because the energon sample wasn't purely my own…"

My wings flared up in anger, "Are you calling my model obsolete?"

Starscream smirked, "Possibly. But we'll never know until I put the other protoforms to use."

Oliver's voice saved him. "Hey!" Our helms snapped to look at the small radio. "When I say 'now' can one of you send a bridge to the same place you dropped us off? My room?"

I nudged the "walkie talkie" over to Starscream with a flick from my fingers, it was much too large for me anyway. He snatched it up and held down the button on the side, "Why?"

"Will's in trouble," came his staticky reply, "All of us including my mom are going to meet you two."

"Why her?" Starscream asked gruffly.

"We don't have a choice! She overheard us talking about our plans and is downstairs grilling Will right now!"

"Oh, if that isn't fantastic." I grumbled, rolling my optics.

"Hey, it's either get her involved, or Will and I go to a mental hospital. Your pick."

Starscream huffed.

"Okay, I take that back. I get to pick. And I don't like straightjackets or rubber helmets, so ready that bridge."

"If you insist." Starscream and I said in unison. We exchanged a look.

* * *

I set my near-empty energon cube on a nearby table as Will emerged from the ground bridge first, towing who I assumed was Oliver's mother, and followed by the boy himself, who was dragging something behind him. Will relinquished his hold on her arm as the ground bridge closed.

"Is this some kind of trick?" She asked, not turning around. Oliver stashed whatever was behind his back away underneath a cluttered lab table. It was impossible to tell what it was at the moment. I made a mental note to ask him about it later.

"If it were, then explain this." I said dryly. She spun around, eyes widening as they fell on my twenty-five-foot form towering over them. She gasped, instinctively taking a few steps back. I glared down at her, "Call me a trick again, human."

"Talking to yourself again?" Will quipped.

"So to speak." I replied, lightly shaking my helm in mild annoyance.

"What! Oliver—he's real, th-they're real!"

"I like her reaction more." Starscream muttered, smirking.

"Hey Mom, meet Seven." Oliver waved up at me.

"Uh, hi?" She gave me a small wave too. I nodded. "But isn't your name Starscream?"

"How do you know that?" I asked suspiciously, my optics narrowing.

"That would be me." Starscream interjected.

"Wha–" Her eyes fell on him for the first time, taking in his human-sized form. All she said after a minute was, "I thought you'd be taller."

"I'm flattered." He said sarcastically. "There was an incident with a shrink ray, and Will ever-so-graciously," his tone was venomous, "removed my wings." I pointed at the shrink ray on the floor. She inched away from it, but was already nowhere near where it lay.

"Mom, we can't get it to work." Oliver said.

"And that is the problem!" Starscream growled. "Speaking of problems, Seven, you never performed a diagnostic of your systems since the Autobots had captured you!"

I glared down at him, "We _have_ been busy, you know. Not to mention we just came back."

Oliver's mom raised her hands, "Hold up, _Autobots_? And where _did_ you go?" She asked nervously, tangling her fingers in the folds of her shirt.

"Canada is, I believe, the human term for it." I replied offhandedly. She clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Why else do you think we wanted pancakes?" Oliver chuckled, smoothing wrinkles out of his jacket.

"Now we've got everyone in on this but Tony and Melanie!" Will exclaimed. Oliver's face reddened. "Yeah, Oliver's been making puppy eyes at this chick at school, haven't you, _Ollie_?"

"Will… Melanie's just a _friend_!" Oliver groaned, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Should we ask her?" his friend crooned.

Oliver looked pleadingly to his mother, who was too busy laughing to do much of anything else. He looked to Starscream, equally desperate, "C'mon, you've got to have had a crush or something with someone once!"

I grinned down at Starscream, vastly enjoying how the little Seeker had suddenly been put on the spot. "I–uh, yes… give me some credit! However, that was a long time ago." he waved a servo to punctuate his point. "And those wretches Arcee and Airachnid disgust me. What I wouldn't do to wrap my servos around their throats–" he strangled the air.

* * *

I plugged a coiled wire into the joint of my left arm, wincing a little as it pierced an energon line. I looked at the monitor displaying its readouts, "Hm, it appears everything is fine… as I keep saying," Starscream huffed at that, "save for an _obstruction_ of some sort on the underside of my left shoulder plating."

"May I?" He asked, gesturing to it.

"Be my guest." I replied sarcastically, tugging the cord out.

"It wasn't a request." He snapped. I carefully placed him on the side of my shoulder as he skittered down the side. "I couldn't have possibly imagined that I would ever be doing something even _remotely_ related to this just over a week ago!" He exclaimed, and poked his helm under it.

"Then be thankful you are just lucky enough to do it now." I remarked.

He growled, "I'm not relishing this!"

"I know." I tapped the side of my helm for emphasis, simpering.

"Would you stop moving?!" The smaller mech screeched. I silently complied. "Ah, yes, there is a small device…"

"A bomb?" Will piped up.

"Why is everything about bombs?" Oliver muttered.

"It doesn't appear to be… but there is a blinking yellow light. How did they manage to place this?" He asked suspiciously, examining it.

"I… may have passed out for a minute as they brought me into their base…" I muttered, looking away. "Can you disable it?"

"It looked like a tracking beacon." He replied.

"Looked?" Will asked, confused. Starscream buried his fist into the device.

Oliver gasped, "You're saying the 'Bots know where our base is?!"

"It is extremely likely, yes." I replied. "My signal would have vanished as I entered the shielded perimeter of this husk, but if they saw it wink out, then yes. And I'm sure they did."

"Great." Oliver said. "When do you think they're gonna come knocking on our door?"

"Oh, they wouldn't bother knocking." Starscream answered grimly.

"What's going on?" Oliver's mother asked nervously.

"Sunday." Her son said wryly.

"Welcome to Team Scream." Will added.


	20. 19 - Ruse

XIX - Ruse

I was really starting to hate Mondays. Sunday had ended fine; the humans left, the boys presumably spoke with Oliver's mother after they had literally shoved her into the thick of things. Starscream and I had fallen into recharge on a pair of makeshift berths that were about as comfortable as a bed of rocks. Oh well, it wasn't like we had anything better, save for the floor.

But only on a Monday, one can wake from recharge to find oneself staring down the barrel of a charged blaster.

"Surprise," came Arcee's voice.

* * *

 ** _~9 hours earlier…_**

I stared up at the ceiling, unable to find rest. Starscream was more successful with that; his intakes evened out a while ago. My internal clock read 12:18 a.m. I lightly tapped a finger against the wall, matching each second ticking by. I stopped after a few minutes, realizing I had dug a few long scratches in the wall without meaning to. Maybe I was more worried about my more frequent nightmares than I realized.

I hoped this would not be another night without recharge, I needed my strength if the Autobots were to make a surprise entrance. So far they had been quiet, but I sincerely doubted it would be for much longer. And what better time to spring a surprise attack then at night? Might as well try to catch some recharge while I still could. I offlined my optics, intaking deeply and regularly. Despite my efforts, my thoughts refused to stop swirling around. Relaxing soon became impossible, each groan of the ship, creak of the berth set me on edge as if it were the Autobots sneaking around a corner, ready to pounce.

I hummed quietly and sat up, unable to take any more. "The medical section might contain some light sedatives…" It was worth a try.

I walked over to the other end of the room, careful to keep my pedfalls as quiet as possible while I inspected the labels on certain cabinets. "Let's see…" I gingerly pulled one open, "No, not anestesias, too strong…" I chuckled, my optics scrolling over the assortment of vials and flasks. They came to rest on a cylinder not bigger than one of my fingers, "ah, here we are. If that's what it takes…" I grimaced, sipping at it, a bitter taste filling my mouth as I laid back down on the berth.

The minutes slowly ticked by, and I began to wonder if it would actually work. My thoughts slowly drifted elsewhere, to what Oliver had said the other day. Why had he volunteered to board Megatron's warship in my place?

I was still mulling it over when "what it took" hit me like a sledgehammer.

* * *

 _Clang. Clang. Clang._

I groaned, cracking open my optics. _Clang_. Will was kicking the side of my helm, shouting. "Wake up, wake up!" I jumped a little, remembering how Arcee trained her blaster on my faceplates in the dream. It felt considerably more real then.

"Cut that out!" I snapped, sitting up and rubbing my helm.

"Sorry." He apologized. "But I had to do that for, like, five minutes!"

"I really should get around to re-enabling my weapons systems." I grumbled, "What time is it?"

"Nine." Oliver's voice joined in.

I moaned to myself, "What was in that sedative?"

"What?" Starscream asked, sliding off my knee. I resisted the urge to kick him off.

"Couldn't recharge." I explained. "Why the rush?"

"The 'Bots are here!" Will said, his voice dropping to a whisper as if they could hear him.

"Where?" I hissed, whipping my helm around.

"Not too far from here, but they're taking their time. Oliver and I almost ran smack into them when we bridged over here."

"And when exactly was that?"

Oliver shrugged, "Maybe thirty minutes ago?" Will nodded.

"We already have a plan, seeing as they are blocking our sole escape route." Starscream said.

"I'm listening."

"So," Oliver continued, "You're going to pretend to hold us hostage, because the 'Bots don't want to hurt humans. And then you'll negotiate with them, and obviously release us."

"Yeah, I like that idea." Will jumped in. "Just… keep those talons away from my face." He pushed my fingers away.

"I will do what is necessary." I stated. He gulped slightly, bringing on a smirk from me.

"Well, do it now! They're coming!" Oliver hissed.

He was right, I could hear the rumbling sound of pedfalls echoing towards us, steadily increasing in volume. Starscream scuttled away, evidently to his discontentment. He hid against the wall behind the humans, having a good view of us, but was practically invisible. I grabbed Oliver up in my right servo and Will in my left, raising them high off the floor.

Bumblebee burst into the room first, followed by Optimus and…

"Bulkhead!" I crowed, "I was wondering when you might show."

"Can't say the same." The green mech lumbered towards me, transforming out a wrecking ball.

"Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn't." I gently squeezed Will, finding him the most irritating of the two. He stopped walking, but instead trained a blaster on my helm. "Ah, I wouldn't do that either." I squeezed Oliver a little too, not nearly enough to injure either of them. But he played the part, gasping a little and struggling accordingly. I smirked menacingly.

"Release them." Prime commanded. The humans looked at me pleadingly.

"Not until you agree to my terms." I added, not loosening my grip in the slightest.

[Which are…] The scout beeped.

"You let me go in peace–"

"Hate to interrupt," Bulkhead interrupted, not sounding sincere at all, "but where's Seven? Or Starscream… whichever one you are."

"Seven is… dead." I improvised.

"Our condolences." Optimus said. I couldn't tell whether it was sincere or not, his stoic expression was too hard to read. "Do you have proof?" he pressed.

"I-I don't need proof! I snuffed the ungrateful pile of slag yesterday!" I hope that sounded convincing.

[Can't you show us?] Bumblebee asked.

"No!" I snapped, "What's it to you? I disposed of his chassis, and even if so could show you, I wouldn't."

"I think he's bluffing!" Bulkhead snarled.

"N-n-now let's not jump to conclusions." I raised my servos, trying to placate the massive green mech. "Besides, you have neglected to allow me to finish listing my terms."

Optimus' optics narrowed, "Continue."

"Ah, as I was saying…" Oliver slightly inclined his head to show his encouragement. "Meaning you do not follow me in any way, and that you get out of here before…" time to try a different approach. The hostage ploy was a lost cause anyway.

"Before what?" Bulkhead asked, his tone coated in skepticism.

"Before…" I acted like I couldn't choke the words out. "Be-before Me–" I willed my wings to droop as if I had just remembered something terrifying.

[What?] Bumblebee prodded nervously. I had apparently even set the humans on edge too.

"M-M-Megatron…" I whimpered as the green and yellow mechs' optics widened but they let me continue. "He's coming… I-I saw it on the ship's scanners…" I panted, scarlet optics darting around feverishly, "Do you have any idea what he'll do to me?!" I shrieked, falling to my knees in front of Optimus and dropping the humans, who stumbled to their feet and backed away. "He will do more than terminate me! He'll rip me to pieces until he gets to my spark chamber!" I pleaded, putting on a desperate, terrified expression. One that Optimus Prime could not help but pity.

[I hate to say this,] Bumblebee whirled, [But it sure sounds like he's telling the truth. And even if we all know Megatron's nowhere near as good as his word, we do know that he would 'tear his second to pieces' before our very optics, then attack us as well.]

Silence fell for a minute after that, save for my choked intakes. I shot a furtive glance at Starscream reclining against the wall, who looked deeply impressed.

Bulkhead shattered it first. "Bee, I've said this before, but you've got one dark processor for a good guy."

The scout chortled in his own weird way for a short while after that remark.

I looked back up at Optimus and desperately grabbed his arm. "Please! By the Allspark, let me get out of here! Megatron will have more than my helm when he shows up, which will be sooner rather than later!" I shrieked melodramatically.

"If Megatron is indeed en route here, then I think the best course of action would be for us all to retreat. Our energon reserves are lower than ever, so if he manages to wound any of us, we hardly possess enough for medical assistance." Optimus stated to the other Autobots before addressing me. "Starscream, why did you seek refuge here?"

I slowly got to my pedes, still forcing my wings to stay low. "I did not 'seek refuge here,' but was merely following a stray energon trail and happened upon this wreck again. I figured accessing its systems might boost my search, but I saw Megatron's signal fast approaching, and then you all entered." I pointed out, stepping towards the Autobots. "And he is going to be here any second now, so I need to make my escape, if you don't mind!" I yelped, furiously shoving my way past them.

The more unnerving thing was the fact that they didn't attempt to stop me. I was halfway down the long hall before I realized they weren't following.

I heard snippets of their hushed conversation, "… can't trust…"

[… fear seems real…]

"… called Decepticons for nothing…"

"… Megatron?"

"… dishonest as it gets…"

[… authentic.]

"… aiding–"

"Are you going to just stand there and hope _Lord_ Megatron spares you?" I hissed, reluctantly plodding back towards them.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee looked to Optimus, as did the pair of humans. Starscream edged along the side of the wall in the corner of my vision.

Optimus touched a servo to his comm link, "Ratchet, we require a ground bridge." After not receiving a reply, he repeated the message. Then he lowered his arm.

"Signal's jammed." Bulkhead pointed out.

"Of course it is." I snapped, "This ship's hull is nearly impenetrable, and that includes radio waves." I elected to leave out the fact that Starscream had installed a heavy dampener to cover any signals that may be transmitted, whether entering or leaving the _Harbinger_ before the shrink ray incident.

"Oh, and how do you know that?" The green mech scoffed, shifting his stance. "I thought you were only following an energon trail."

A lie already graced my glossa, "I stumbled over it while pinging the _Harbinger_ from Megatron's warship right before Airachnid and I went on that little… excursion to find the relic." I remembered those words as if that Airachni-glitch had uttered them yesterday… _My personal native guide. How delightful._ I resolved that the next time I laid optics on her, I would personally remove all those wretched spider legs followed by her helm.

The green mech still looked dubious, "Oh, is that so? And what else did you 'stumble' over?"

"Just. Get. OUT!" I yelled, shoving the green mech. He didn't even sway on his pedes, it was like trying to push a wall. But at least walls don't push back.

This one did. Bulkhead shoved me off him roughly, I lost my footing and fell to the floor, but managed to land sitting up. I covered my helm with my servos in a beseeching, defensive gesture, whimpering, "We need to leave…" my wings fell flat. "I need to get out of here, before it's too late…" I amped up the desperation in my tone and sprang to my pedes, running past them. With a bit of luck, they would take the bait this time. I was running out of ideas.

But of course, luck has not been on my side of late.

* * *

Seven dashed out of the room like he was fleeing death itself, wings bouncing so much it was impossible to tell if they were fluttering or not. I ruefully felt a pang that had been a dull ache in the back of my mind since I "lost" my wings. It would be a miracle if I ever flew again, considering my current diminutive stature of about six feet, lack of a T-Cog and wings to boot.

On a lighter note, Seven was doing an admirable job acting; I myself was almost convinced that Megatron was about to swoop in.

Will silently watched the scene unfold before his wide eyes while Oliver rummaged through something out of my view. I pressed my back against the wall and leaned towards them to afford myself a better view, but not by much. The Autobots transformed and followed after Seven, chasing the diminishing sound of his pedfalls down the long corridors. Oliver appeared to be tugging something up over his left leg–I could hardly tell from my vantage point, but it looked like a hollow replica of one of my pedes.

As soon as the Autobots' engines could no longer be heard, Will raced over to me.

"Well, what now?" The human asked as we walked over to Oliver.

"We wait for Seven to return." I said, "And Oliver, after he returns, we interrogate you about why exactly you said you'll board the _Nemesis_."

"Okay, rule number one of interrogating someone," Oliver began, "don't tell them you're going to do it beforehand." I huffed in exasperation as he tugged another boot on. "That… gives them time to… ugh… prep for it… and they can evade… your questions better." He grunted, struggling to fit the boot over his foot. I got a closer look at them, they were very realistic replicas of my own pedes and lower half of my legs that fit snugly over his own.

I gawked at them for a second in disbelief, "What are you doing?! And _what_ is _that_?!" I screeched at him.

"This is my _get out of jail free_ card." He explained not vaguely at all. He was met with a pair of blank stares. "You know, from the game _Monopoly_? You may pass go and collect two-hundred dollars? Ring a bell?" More blank stares. "Ever go spelunking?"

"What?"

"Cave-diving." He elaborated.

"How is this relevant?" I snapped.

"Because you both live under rocks!" Oliver snickered. Will and I exchanged exasperated looks.

"Hey, the last time I played that game was when I was five. My dad put hotels on everything. It wasn't too fun." Will replied defensively.

"Games tend to be more fun when you're winning," I agreed haughtily.

"Anyhow," Oliver continued, clearly offended that neither of us got his reference, "this work of art," Will blew a raspberry at that comment, "is my ticket to board the _Nemesis._ I'll board the big bad warship disguised as Starscream," He nodded at me, but I silently crossed my arms in disapproval, "and hopefully grab a sample of Megatron's metal from Knock Out's lab. It's a pretty good plan."

"That is not a good plan! It's hardly a concept!" I snapped pointedly.

"Hey, I know. But I've thought this through a bit, and it's the best shot we've got. Seven straight-up refused to go, and I'm guessing you don't want to go either." He hastily added as I glared at him. "Plus, I have this sweet costume I made for Halloween night."

I frowned, "I am not even going to ask–"

"That's a first." Will muttered.

"… however," I continued, undeterred, "how would you get up there? Don't forget that we aren't in possession of the ship's location."

"It was just over the Atlantic a couple days ago." Oliver reminded us.

I scoffed, "It's a ship, it _moves_. Who knows where it is now!"

"We know that, genius." He snorted. "But you found it once, you can find it again, right?"

I suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable with both their eyes staring at me with a newfound intensity.

"Well… you see, it isn't that simple, it took me weeks to locate the _Nemesis_ the first time—and that was just a desperate attempt to hoard its energon stores! We don't have weeks!"

"Can't you just check NASA's images?" Will suggested. "Or a conspiracy website? Because NASA's got a lot of satellites, one of them is bound to have seen something."

"And you think that 'something' would be available to the public?!"

"NASA _does_ have to release all their images," Will argued.

Oliver cut in, "But they wouldn't want the public to know that giant robots walk, drive, or fly among them and that an alien warship is flying over their heads with enough firepower to level a city."

"Oliver," Will said, faking being serious, "lots of things go over people's heads."

Oliver punched him lightly, "Hey, help me get these wings on." he grabbed one that was connected to the thruster and shoved it at him.

"Maybe you shouldn't hit the people you want help from." Will mused, glancing at me as well. I rolled my optics, turning my attention to a series of scratches on the wall next to the makeshift berth for my clone. My gaze darkened.

"Oh, wait, I forgot you were allergic to work." Oliver groaned. His friend faked a sneeze.

"Seven!" I commed. "What is taking you? We have urgent matters to discuss!"

"Can't we… discuss it… over… this link?" He panted, pedes clacking in a rapid staccato against the floor.

"These are private frequencies," I agreed, "but, you never know who could have tapped the signal."

* * *

"… you never know who could have tapped the signal." Starscream's voice resonated from speakers throughout the inside of the MECH compound. It was followed by a small crack of static as the comm signal cut out.

"You could not be more right, Starscream." Silas purred. "A Transformer _and_ its clone?"

"Two birds with one stone." A MECH soldier agreed, adjusting his grip on a pulse rifle.

Silas silenced him with a sweep of his hand, "Why stop at just one T-Cog, when we can open up an entire robot, another living machine?"

"Sir, what about the failure with the Transformer Breakdown?" Another soldier asked.

"That was hardly a failure!" Silas smirked, his eyes glittering with malice. "It was indeed unfortunate that we were unable to complete the procedure on poor Breakdown; however, we did accomplish the initiation of Project: Chimera." With a few swift taps across a screen, he pulled up a schematic of Optimus Prime's systems and pointed at his T-Cog. "This device here, this is the key. This is how they do it." He crossed his arms over his chest, already looking triumphant. "And it will transform our technology to surpass all others on this planet."

Silas paused his speech to analyze Starscream's T-Cog as it swung gently from a set of chains in the corner of the room as if pushed by an invisible breeze. Its multitude of sharp points glinted wickedly in the early morning light.

Silas' scars stretched across his face as his thin mouth widened into a sick grin. "All the living machines' technology will soon belong to MECH."

The soldiers took up a cheer.


	21. 20 - MECH

XX - MECH

Seven sipped absentmindedly at an energon cube, gently swirling its contents. He watching in wry amusement as the two humans before him gulped down one cup of chocolate milk after another. It was raining outside again, not as badly as when Seven was caught in it, but close. The humans' school was let out early due to risks of flooding, but this was a drizzle compared to the torrent a few days ago. We reluctantly allowed them to stay here inside this wreck of a ship instead of going stir crazy inside their houses—an option I found much more preferable. _What is with this planet's weather!_ I thought to myself. _One day it can be so hot and dry you think your energon would boil off inside you, and the next is so rainy and humid that your paint peels!_

"Was that really acting?" Will raised an eyebrow, letting a faint smirk curl the corners of his milk-stained lips. I could almost feel the silence shatter.

"He did alright." I shrugged, biting my lip to hide a smile.

Seven huffed at that, "Doesn't hurt to give credit where it's due." He took another light sip from his cube. "I did much more than what you can call 'alright.'" He wagged a finger at me. I rolled my optics, drinking from a separate, smaller cube.

"Speaking of giving credit where it's due… when's the name going to be official?" Will asked coyly.

"What name?" I asked, raising my eyebrows in suspicion.

"Team Scream!" Oliver butted in, then went back to loudly slurping his chocolate milk.

"Will you cut that out!" I spat, referring to the name and disgusting sound.

"It's official." Seven added with an air of finality.

I buried my helm in my servos, growling, "The day it becomes official is the day I'm terminated."

My clone waved the comment away with a light smirk, "No one is terminating anyone today."

"Oops." Will said. Oliver looked at him, aghast. "Kidding!" he covered. "You don't seriously think I'd kill someone outside of a video game?!"

"Don't even talk about human entertainment. I get enough from Knock Out as it is." I growled, and took another drink from my cube.

Oliver chuckled, "Then we can fill in his place since he isn't here."

Seven looked down at me, "Are you absolutely certain they don't have 'off' switches?" He swirled his half-full cube around on the table.

"They don't have an obvious 'off' switch," I began, and the two humans looked a bit uncomfortable, sucking their milk a bit more slowly, "but, if you rap them hard enough on the head," I pantomimed knocking my knuckles on an imaginary skull, "light's out."

Seven smirked, looking almost eager to try it. I couldn't blame him, the two were a pain most of the time, but had their uses, however meager.

Oliver coughed, directing our attention to him again. "What about our _plans_?" He said, glancing at me. He now had his entire costume on, and was examining the mask he held in his hands. It was extremely realistic, but lacked many moving parts.

I huffed, "Oh, don't let me steal the spotlight. They are your grand, prodigious plans after all."

"Speech, speech, speech!" Will chanted, pumping a fist in the air.

Oliver straightened one of his fake missiles before launching into a slightly more finessed "plan." It involved a few new things such as Seven shuttling him to and from the _Nemesis_ , and about how I was to instruct him on how to access and operate the ship's systems to communicate with us, etcetera.

"Nothing, yes, not even your pathetic walkie talkies will be able to penetrate the _Nemesis_ ' radio shielding. Decepticon engineering is truly a marvel, I realize that now more than ever… I had come to take it for granted." I took a small sip from my cube before continuing, "Now, stuck aboard a wreck of a ship with only a clone of myself and two humans for company… I nearly miss Bucket Head's warship." I snorted, and pushed my cube off to the side.

"If I'm not mistaken, we are identical…" Seven looked me over with shrewd optics, "or at least would be." He added dryly before flinging his now empty cube off to the side as well.

"Nearly." I enunciated. "I don't exactly enjoy Megatron's… lessons."

"Oh, I could not agree more." Seven frowned.

Oliver fidgeted with the same missile, picking at a thread, "Are you guys trying to stop me from going?"

"Depends on your perspective," I smirked, allowing traces of cunning to enter my tone. "are you second-guessing yourself, or are we actually talking some reason into you?"

"Like you're the first person we'd look to for a pep talk about reason." Will snorted.

Oliver piped up, "Maybe a little of both." He stopped picking at the thread on the missile, letting his arms fall limply to his sides. "But I didn't expect you to be the one trying to convince me not to go." He crossed his arms, "That's my mom's job. And not to mention I'm doing this—we're all doing this for you." He jabbed a finger at me. Its sharp point gleamed harshly in the light.

"Is it worth it?" Seven mused, "Look at him!" He gestured to me and I started to feel very small indeed. "We don't need Soundwave to tell us that our chances at success are nearly zero."

"My thanks for the continued support." I grumbled.

"The pleasure is mine, _commander_." He rewarded me with a mock bow.

"So," Oliver interjected, wings bouncing as he stepped closer. "when do we leave?"

"After I instruct you on how to operate the _Nemesis_ ' communications systems." I reminded him.

* * *

Silas clasped his hands neatly behind his back, studying Starscream's T-Cog as it swung from a set of chains in a hypnotic rhythm. He watched as each wickedly sharp point flashed in the dim lighting of MECH's base, casting thin, slanting shadows on the floor.

A soldier approached MECH's leader from behind, "Sir, the package is ready."

Silas didn't turn around, "Excellent. Prepare the coordinates."

"They're already locked in, sir."

"Then let's bring the rain."

* * *

Bulkhead smashed the last disarmed energon bomb with his wrecking ball atop the Autobots' base.

"I'm glad that's over with." He picked up its scraps, tossing them into a sack. "At least those two kids gave us a heads-up, right?"

"Why did they tell us? Scream could have just blown us sky high, letting Seven do his dirty work." Arcee wondered, scooping up a few shards of metal and deposited them in Bulkhead's bag.

The green mech laughed, "Ha! Who cares why they told us!" He folded the mouth of the bag shut, and slung it over his shoulder.

Arcee shrugged, "We would have found them eventually, even if they didn't tip us off," she agreed reluctantly.

"No," Bulkhead corrected, "I meant I thought Screamer wasn't the kind of mech to tip off his enemies."

"His clone was acting weird… for him." The femme acknowledged, comming Ratchet to open the lift down into the silo.

The doors slowly raised up beneath their pedes. They scrambled out of the way just as it clanged open, then hopped inside. The two descended in silence until it shuddered to a stop and the doors ground open.

"Hey Ratch, do you think we could siphon the energon out of these suckers?" Bulkhead asked, dropping the bag, and its contents spilled out over the floor. A few pieces bounced and one crashed into the side of a tray full of medical tools. It clattered to the floor. A few glass syringes and vials shattered.

The medic growled, "Bulkhead, I needed that!" He bent down and began brushing shards of glass back into the tray.

"My bad." The brute apologized, scooping the scrap metal back into the bag. Arcee rolled her optics behind the green mech, then stooped over to help as well.

"Hey, where did Optimus and Bee go off to?" Arcee wondered, gingerly picking up a jagged piece of shrapnel between two fingers.

"Bumblebee is picking the children up from school," Ratchet grumbled, "And Optimus is off doing recon. I'm afraid you just missed him." he set the tray back in its spot, "Stay." he murmured. It didn't move once he let go, turning back to the other bots. "Is there something you require?"

"We didn't see him leave." She answered, shrugging and dusting her servos off after the last of the shrapnel had been scooped back into the bag.

"He's currently scouting the _Harbinger_." Ratchet typed at the computer.

"Ha! What for? Screamer flew out of there like a bat outta–"

"He did say Megatron was coming." The motorcycle interjected. "Bee told me."

"Oh?" The medic questioned, "And did you see any sign that the leader of the Decepticons was going to make any appearance at all?" he scoffed.

The green and blue bots exchanged a glance. "No." Bulkhead reluctantly conceded. "But–"

"That's why Optimus is scouting. It could've been a ruse. Knowing Starscream, it almost definitely was."

"You never know with 'Cons." Arcee agreed. "Current or former."

"Are you sure? It looked real to me." The green mech's tone was full of skepticism.

Ratchet laughed derisively, "Even more of a reason why we can't trust him!"

"But Ratch," Bulkhead reasoned, "You weren't there. He was at our mercy and he knew it." Ratchet huffed, still not convinced. "He was shaking like a leaf," the Wrecker added.

"But still, this is _Starscream_ we're talking about." Arcee maintained, crossing her arms.

"You weren't there either." Bulkhead huffed.

"Starscream is hardly predictable, as we have aptly learned these past few days. But Bulkhead, the only place I can think of with the right technology in order for him to clone himself other than Megatron's warship is the _Harbinger_. And he would be greeted the same way we would if he was found aboard the _Nemesis_."

"He's got a point there." Arcee shrugged, gesturing with a servo.

"Not you too." The Wrecker groaned.

"Ratchet, I am about to enter the _Harbinger_." Optimus' voice emanated from the main console, interrupting their conversation.

"Stay vigilant." The medic cautioned. "Your comm link won't work in there, the wreck is heavily shielded."

"I am well aware. I will be sure to call for a bridge when I exit this ship." The comm link cut out a second later.

"And if Starscream gets to him before we do?" Arcee asked bluntly.

"Let's just hope he doesn't." Ratchet replied somberly.

* * *

"Seven, when should we leave?" Oliver asked, tapping his foot in anticipation.

"We did just get back…" I glanced at Starscream.

My diminutive double crossed his arms, "Don't look at me. This wasn't my idea, remember?"

"I think it's best to re-enable my weapons before we depart—blast what Ratchet did to me!" I growled. "After that, we ca–AAH!" I yelped in surprise and took a step backwards, my optics still fixed ahead.

"Wh-what is it?!" Starscream asked uneasily.

"Move!" I hissed, waving at them to run.

And no sooner than the words had flown out of my mouth, Optimus Prime stepped out of the shadows, blasters charged and raised.

"Starscream."

"Optimus Prime!" This situation felt somewhat familiar. However, this time there was nowhere to run. So I raised my missiles in a mirroring fashion. Primus, why didn't I enable my weapon systems sooner?

"One false step, Prime…" I twitched my fingers menacingly.

"Surrender." he commanded, not put off in the slightest.

I pretended to mull it over, "Hm, surrender… to… you… and fall into the custody of the Autobots once more… I'd rather not!"

"Once more?" He inquired. My wings drooped. "We captured Seven, you have never been in our base."

"Ah, yes…" I fluttered my wings, putting on an innocent, idiotic smile, "I don't know what I was thinking!"

His optics narrowed.

"I-I-I'm a victim of energon deficiency!" I improvised dramatically, " _Lord_ Megatron has his oily claws buried in all the major deposits on this rock, leaving me no choice but to scrounge for scraps! And I doubt your base has adequate enough accommodations to hold a prisoner, or enough energon!"

"That is beside the point," he kept his blasters trained on my chassis, "Are you, or are you not Starscream?"

I glanced around the room, spotting Oliver and Will in a good hiding place. Starscream was sandwiched between the two, and looking quite uncomfortable about it. The Seeker vigorously shook his helm "no" at me. I sidled in front of them, making sure the Prime couldn't see the trio behind my large wings.

I didn't know how to proceed. The thought of feigning an injury held some appeal–I was pretending to be Starscream, who, to the Autobots, supposedly had some mysterious ailment. But the idea quickly lost its luster as I realized I would only make it incredibly easy for Prime to just drag me back to that old missile silo. And then he'd have all the time in the world to interrogate me. Again.

I scowled, "Well, aren't you clever."

"Seven."

After a moment's hesitation, I nodded.

"Then where is Starscream?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but clamped it shut, firmly shaking my helm.

"Why are you still here?"

His question took me off-guard, "Wh-what?"

"You said you were merely here to follow a stray energon trail." Scrap. "But it seems more like you are established in this ship."

"How perceptive of you." I hissed. "You know what? You win." I sighed in defeat, letting my arms drop to my sides and fell back into my chair. "whatever you came here to do, just do it. I'm sick of this." I sighed. One of the humans let out a quiet gasp. I hid a smirk, readying my missiles should the perfect opportunity arise.

His gaze softened and he transformed his blasters away, laying a heavy servo on my shoulder. I didn't bother shrugging it off, looking up to meet his bright blue optics.

"Seven, what is going on?" He asked quietly.

My silver-tongued glossa turned to lead. "I-I can't–I can't tell you." I balked, trying to squirm out from under his servo, but his grip was too tight. I adjusted my arm so the missile was subtly pointing at where his spark resided.

A quick glance to my left revealed that Oliver—who had taken off his costume—was holding Will back from running over by pinning his arms behind him. Starscream watched them warily a few paces away.

"Seven. I will not ask you again." My gaze jerked back to meet Prime's blue optics. "Where is Starscream?" He roughly pulled me to my pedes. "Where is he hiding?"

"I don't know, I swear! You Autobots captured me and when I returned here, he was gone along with–" I stopped myself, optics widening.

"Along with whom?"

"… the humans." I finished with a sigh. _Scrap._ The pair emerged out from their hiding place, stepping in front of Starscream to shield him from prying optics. Oliver released his friend's arms. Will rubbed his wrists, shooting a glare at him.

"O, mighty Optimus Prime, we seek your wise counsel." Will made a mock bow. Oliver kicked him and he fell over, landing flat on his face. Optimus raised an eyebrow.

"Don't be rude." The other human admonished. Will stood again, shaking his head and now rubbing his nose. Oliver turned to the Prime towering over him, smiling apologetically, "Heh, what he meant to say was: you caught us." I thought of the shrink ray's current hiding place behind a standing pile of mops in the corner of the laboratory and smirked. _Didn't quite catch everything._

"You two are the same humans that served at Starscream's ambassadors in Canada." Optimus observed.

The boys bobbed their heads.

"What are your names?" He asked.

"I'm Primus–"

Oliver interrupted before his counterpart could finish, "We call him Will. I'm Oliver. You'll have to excuse him, we don't usually let him out of his cage when we have guests." The human smirked.

"I never get a moment's peace, do I?" I chuckled bitterly, my voice just above a whisper. "Between you Autobots and these pesky humans." Said humans frowned, but I could have cared less.

"I see." The Prime said, unamused, "Where is Starscream?" he asked for the upteenth time, letting go of my shoulder plate.

"Gee that's about as subtle as the first million times you've said it!" Will burst out.

"Will, if you say one more word, I'll relieve your body of your head." I warned, turning back to face Optimus. "Why so urgent?" I asked, not bothering to hide the blatant suspicion in my tone.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you." He stated calmly.

"Cannot or will not?"

"Will not."

I crossed my arms, stepping away from him and decided to drop all pretenses. They were only prolonging this. "Then you might as well leave. I'm not going to tell you where he is unless you tell me what exactly is going on."

The Prime paused, thinking. "We have been led to believe that MECH is bent on terminating him—and you as well if they lay eyes upon you—for their so-called "studies." We suspect they already know of your existence. However, we can't fathom how, or what their next move is."

We all mulled his words over. "How did you acquire so much inside knowledge of MECH's agendas? One could think that you've sided with those monsters." I finally said. "And why do you care so much about Starscream and I? It isn't like we've done much for you…"

"Special Agent Fowler encouraged a couple other agents working for the Pentagon to become spies for us inside the MECH operative. They consented." He replied. "And, as Autobots, we care about our race of Cybertronians as a whole. And that means keeping our biology and technology secret from those who would abuse it for their own sinister purposes."

I sighed, "When you put it that way…" but then a new thought darkened my processor. "You're telling me you have men _inside_ MECH and they aren't terminating Silas!?" I exclaimed.

"Their job was dangerous enough as it was, and recently we pulled them out as we realized MECH's leader almost certainly knew of their existence." He sighed, "Seven, remove the radio scrambler."

"What for?" I was nervous now.

"I need to commune with Ratchet." Prime explained.

"You can just go stroll outside!" I protested, fidgeting with my wings. "What if I say no?"

"I am not giving you a choice." He transformed out a blaster.

I winced, "Oh, now that's hardly fair." The humans watched with wide eyes.

"If I reopen communications, the Decepticons can lock onto this ship's signal!" I reasoned.

Optimus fixed me with a stern look, raising his blaster. "That is a risk I am willing to take."

"Oh, fffine…" I hissed, pressing a few buttons as my the tips of my fingers skimmed across the main computer's screen. I felt uncomfortable as Optimus watched intently over my shoulder, his blue gaze searing into my back. "Don't blame me when Megatron makes an entrance." I growled. "They're down."

Optimus touched a finger to the side of his helm, activating his comm unit.

"Ratchet?"

"I'm here, Optimus," came the medic's reply, "is something wrong?"

"No. But Seven had deceived us earlier." I shrank away at his words.

"I knew he–wait, did you say _Seven_?" Ratchet asked in disbelief.

"Are your audials malfunctioning?" I replied dryly.

"I take it he is in your custody?" The medic guessed.

"Company," Optimus corrected.

"Optimus, you can't just let him run free!" The old bot exclaimed.

"He is not harming anyone, Ratchet." The Prime replied calmly.

"For now." The medic hissed.

"You're the intruder here." I reminded him through gritted denta, letting my missiles catch the light to make sure he was well aware that I wouldn't go down without a fight.

"But do not think for a moment that I will let him out of my sights."

"Oh, that's reassuring." I snarled.

"Yes, I'm sure you'll be fi–hold on." Ratchet paused, we could hear a harsh beeping coming from the other end.

"What is it?" Optimus asked, a note of worry entering his tone.

"Proximity sensor… but Agent Fowler hasn't called in and the only other group that knows of our base's location besides us is with you." He explained.

"Call us 'Team Scream.'" Oliver butted in.

"Oh, would you stop with that for frag's sake!" Starscream snarled from behind them. He realized his mistake a second too late, but Optimus had already heard. "Ah, heh, heh…" He stepped out from behind the humans. The Prime stared down at him in disbelief with wide optics. "It seems you and my clone are acquainted." The diminutive Seeker huffed, crossing his arms in a defiant stance that mirrored my own.

After a couple slow blinks, Optimus reactivated his comm link. "Ratchet, we have located Starscream."

"What's left of him." Will quipped. I shot him a glare saying: "This is not the time!" He shrugged in a "whatever" kind of way.

"If I may ask, what happened? Even to your wings…" Prime trailed off, looking the human-sized Seeker over.

"A story for another time." Starscream hissed, glaring at Will as he said it.

"I did what you told me to do." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Ratchet?" Optimus asked again, back on course. Only static replied. He deactivated his comm, "Seven, Starscream, did either of you disable communications?" he asked sternly.

"How could I have?" I snapped, "I've been here this entire time, sitting on my aft and twiddling my thumbs!" Prime looked to Starscream.

The smaller mech raised his servos, "Does it look like I could have?"

My intakes hitched, "What if–what if another group somehow knows…"

"Please, elaborate." Optimus looked back at me intently.

I shook myself, choking the words out, "MECH… they must have picked up the energy surge from my rescue ground bridge atop your base!" The humans gasped. "It fits!" I continued, "You said they wanted my helm on the chopping block right after I go under involuntary surgery yourself! They could have been tracking my movements…" I whimpered, but swallowed and continued, "Those sadistic humans must have noticed the ground bridge's energy surge– _yours_ ," I elaborated when Optimus frowned, "the one that rescued me and investigated somehow… perhaps in one of their slagging stealth helicopters. And they must have also stumbled across one of our signals, alerting them to our location!" I panted

Optimus looked speechless, "How do you know this?"

"Educated guessing? I–Starscream made the mistake of working with them, we know how they operate. Mind you, that means covertly until their goal is within reach. Then they sprint to the finish before you know what hit you." I added bitterly.

"When it rains, it pours." Starscream growled.

* * *

 **A/N: Two two-letter words: uh-oh**


	22. 21 - MECH II

XXI - MECH II

Three sets of helicopter blades tore apart the humid, rainy air high above Jasper, Nevada.

"Sir, we should abort. The rain and winds are too strong; flying conditions are no longer safe." A soldier in the second helicopter shouted into a radio over the drumming rain and thrumming blades.

"Negative." MECH's leader replied with a hardened resolve from the safety of their base. "We will see this mission through. The package must be delivered."

"Affirmative." The soldier in the other helicopter nodded, though no one else could see him. Even with their state-of-the-art night vision goggles, which did nothing to see through the onslaught of rain. Fortunately for them, they didn't need to rely on sight alone to pilot the choppers.

"Enable the radio signal scramblers." Silas ordered as the trio of helicopters banked hard to the left, bringing the top of what MECH's leader knew now was the Autobots' base. He leaned forwards in his chair slightly, watching the feed from a camera mounted on the front of the lead helicopter's hull.

"Radio scramblers enabled." A soldier from the third aircraft reported after fiddling with a few switches and dials on the console in front of him.

"Secure the package's destination first. Then engage any and all Transformers that dare show themselves." MECH's leader smirked menacingly, eyeing the controls in front of his fingertips.

The lead helicopter swooped down, forcing the two others to follow. They all were hooked up to a set of chains carrying a large crate between them, each helicopter holding a third of the box's weight.

"Sir, I have to ask, why not go with brute strength?"

"Stealth is the key element here." Silas answered cooly through the radio. His voice was magnified inside the small cockpit.

The three helicopters slowly descended behind the butte that housed the former missile silo, getting low enough to allow the large crate to touch the ground. Three soldiers detached the chains, allowing them to fall to the ground in a heap as the helicopters ascended away.

"Package secured and delivered." A soldier from the lead helicopter reported. The trio looped around to the front of the base just as vehicles came pouring out.

* * *

I flew low and fast, sneaking up behind the trio of MECH helicopters as they deposited a crate nearly as big as the themselves to the ground.

"Inferior vehicles!" I cackled to myself, closing in. The driving rain and dark grey thunderheads were all the perfect camouflage a silver jet like myself could ask for. I shivered a little, maybe not just from the rain. It did shield me from their vision more, but I was a tad more concerned about their radars. They weren't as easily fooled. But I had a couple hastily-made energy scrambling nodes stuck under my plating. Whatever signal I should have been emitting would be distorted beyond recognition, if even appearing at all. Plus, Starscream and I raced right after that to reactivate my weapons systems. It would be suicide if I came armed with only my missiles and tips of my talons.

The three copters circled around the Autobots' base to the front and I followed close behind. I waited, not onlining my blasters or readying my missiles just yet. The fight would start when the Autobots showed.

"Ah, yes, perfect timing." I smirked, "All those little Autobots down there—flooding out of the safety of their base." I had ground bridged a mile or so away from their base to stay off the radar until absolutely necessary. Optimus Prime followed a ways behind me in his alt mode. "On a scale, if my top speed could be given a ten," I smirked to myself, "theirs is a negative four."

Surprisingly enough, their leader had enlisted my help, trusting me even, to not have my blasters pointed at his comrades. And I will be holding him to his word, along with Starscream, Oliver, and Will, who witnessed our hurried exchange. We decided when this was over, Ratchet would give me needed repairs, and I would also get a few cubes of energon as a small reward per my request.

"And perhaps be invited to join their faction again." I grumbled. I had reluctantly agreed to his terms, and was waiting for Prime to relay the message below me to his fellow comrades. I had already painted a target for MECH on my back just by being here. Becoming the Autobots' on top of that would be a nightmare. The arrangement was less than ideal, but energon was energon, no matter where it came from. Exempting the dark stuff, naturally.

The sounds of transformation sequences down below startled me out of my thoughts. Bulkhead, Arcee, Bumblebee and even Ratchet had arrived at the scene.

Bulkhead transformed out his blasters, "MECH." He growled.

"And Screamer's joined up with them again." Arcee spat, and transformed out hers as well.

[Or it's Seven.] The scout pointed out, raising an arm to shield his optics from a rain of bullets that were more of an annoyance than a cause of actual damage.

"So what? They both are equally malevolent!" Ratchet shouted, raising his surgical blades to stave off the hail of bullets. Where was Optimus when you needed him? Well, Primes don't party and this one's already started…

I opened fire on the MECH helicopters. The leading one suddenly dropped like a stone. The two flanking it spun around, turning to fire on me. I adroitly shot upwards out of the line of their useless, pinging bullets. I leveled out once I was out of their reach, frantically searching for the Prime. I didn't want to have to dodge plasma as well thanks to some miscommunication.

I spotted him in his vehicle mode, cruising towards the other bots. His tires kicked up a sizable plume of dust despite the rain. The helicopters swerved out of the way of the Autobots' blaster fire, I was so intently watching them and Optimus that a stray shot almost clipped one of my tail wings. I yelped in surprise, diving down to dodge the shots.

The Prime transformed, jogging the final distance and saying something to his counterparts. I was too far away to hear and the rain was too loud, but I just hoped that he was relaying the message.

Meanwhile, Ratchet sliced viciously into MECH cars that had arrived on the scene without my noticing. Bumblebee fired at the lead helicopter but it shot an electric pulse at him. The scout failed to dodge it and collapsed, writhing as electricity danced across his frame before falling limp. Ratchet paused in his assault to check on the yellow mech.

Optimus appeared to be yelling something, but I couldn't hear what it was. I moved in closer but he shook his helm, leveling his blasters _at me_. I stopped dead in midair just above the the lead helicopter's spinning blades, shocked. He, Arcee and Bulkhead opened fire on me. I yelped, flying out from above the helicopter as I frantically weaved in and out of shots. Transforming, I fell the remaining forty or so feet to the hard ground and landed heavily.

"What was _that_?!" I screeched and my wings snapped out. "We had an agreement! A truce!"

"Duck!" Bulkhead shouted back, pointing his cannons at my helm.

"Wh–" I started to say, not understanding at first. But then I fell flat, feeling the heat of plasma zipping past my wingtips. I flipped onto my back, panting and was met with a pair of bright, crimson optics.

My wings fell flat behind me, "Scrap."

The mock-up Starscream put a blaster to my helm with lightning speed, "One false move and you're in a history textbook."

"Is this what he meant by saying Starscream had something wrong with him?" Bulkhead muttered.

The robot looked up, "Bulkhead, is it?"

"Silas." Optimus leveled his blasters at the fake's helm.

"You catch on slowly." He remarked sardonically.

The green mech transformed out a wrecking ball, "I'm faster at pounding mouthy faceplates."

"I'm giving you three seconds to lower that blaster and remove those helicopters before I tear its wings off and stuff them down its throat!" I growled.

"Go ahead. My creation does not possess the liability of feeling pain like you do. And I can make things very painful indeed for you in your near future."

"You will do no such thing, Silas." Optimus warned, charging his blasters.

"Try me." He challenged through the robot, and pointed his blaster at the Prime, firing it in rapid succession. I took advantage of the situation, rolling out of the way and sprang to my pedes.

I glared down the length of my missiles in front of me, "My, my, how the tables turn." I fired my left missile and frowned when the robot leapt out of the way and onto Arcee. It landed on the ground standing on top the motorcycle.

"Indeed." Silas said through its mouth, raking its talons down over the femme's outstretched arm with an evil grin.

I fired my remaining missile and it hit home. The fake Seeker went flying off Arcee, who sat up and wiped a trickle of energon away that was flowing out of the deep-looking claw marks on her arm.

Optimus looked worried, but she waved him off, "I'm fine. Just a scratch." She glanced in my direction, "Thanks."

I huffed, "I didn't do it to _save_ you; I'll never allow a fake version of me to pound dents into you. I reserve that right for myself, and myself alone!"

"Says Starscream's clone." She shot back with a smirk.

"Wh–you know what I mean!" I snapped.

The robot got to its pedes, "I don't pay you to just carry those guns, use them!" Silas growled at his troops.

One standing on a car behind me leveled his gun and muttered, "He doesn't pay us."

I dropped to the ground, yelling for the remaining Autobots to follow. Ratchet had brought Bumblebee back inside their base a few minutes ago.

Electrical pulses whizzed above our helms as we crouched behind a small hill. "So what's the game plan?" Arcee shouted, firing a rapid succession of shots at the third helicopter. Two connected with its tail. It broke off, and the rest of the helicopter tumbled into a spiral, blades still spinning as it slammed into the earth.

"One down," I pointed my blasters at the lead helicopter, "two to go." They all looked to me for instructions, even Optimus. It was unnerving. I tried not to let my fear show, but there still was a small tremble in my voice. "T-target the helicopters―especially the leading one. One of you get the remaining cars. Silas' pile of scrap he calls a robot is _mine_. GO!"

"And since when do we take orders from you?" The green mech challenged.

"Since your leader put me in charge!" I screeched, already bounding over the wreckage of a car towards the other jet.

"So." Silas rolled the duplicate's large shoulder plates. "There is a version of this… confrontation where you are escorted back to our base and we perform surgery to see how you tick."

"Why me when you have that?" I spat out the words as the robot and I began to circle each other. "And Breakdown's cadaver, if I'm not mistaken."

"This work of art is no more sentient than the rocks beneath our feet." He replied, waving a servo at the ground for emphasis. "Unlike you."

"If you think I'm coming quietly, you're more delusional than Megatron." I hissed, charging up my blasters.

"The other version of this," he continued, heedless of my threat, "your friends all perish and–" A loud explosion rang out from behind us, drowning out his words. We both turned to look, Optimus had grabbed the tail of the second helicopter as it mistakenly flew too low, and hurled the entire vehicle into the leading one. Bulkhead let out a loud whoop in victory. The silver robot's optics narrowed.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear your prattle!" I lunged at it, but Silas jerked the mech away at the last second. My claws gouged into its left wing, ripping clean through the metal at the bottom.

"The best part?" He snarled through the robot, "It can't feel PAIN!"

He landed a heavy blow on my cockpit. I grunted, stabbing a servo at its chest plate. I aimed to puncture a major fuel line. _If that sorry excuse for a robot isn't sentient_ , I reasoned, _it won't have a spark._ I nearly laughed, how could it?! It was built by mere humans! But I missed, and with a swift kick, I swept the fake's legs out from under it.

"Ah, ah, ah." I warned, pressing a blaster at its helm. "Any last words, Silas?" I cackled, planting a pede down on its chest plate as it struggled to get up. "Clearly, revenge is a dish best served cold," A malicious smirk split my faceplates.

"Surely no colder than the grave," the robot grinned up at me, energon trickling out of a couple scrapes, a diabolical look in its empty optics. "Duck."

"Seven!" I heard Optimus shout, and heavy pedfalls grew in volume behind me.

The world erupted in light and heat. I shrieked, and my legs gave out. Somehow, the sensation felt familiar, albeit it wasn't a part of my memories. But Starscream, on the other hand…

"Fragging pulse guns!" I snarled between labored pants, already feeling the temporary stasis effect take hold, shutting my systems down. That was a really low blow; shooting me from behind. I vaguely realized I was royally fragged if the ground bridge remote or my comm unit had gotten fried.

Optimus appeared above me, tackling the silver robot away from my chassis. I struggled to intake, watching the fight through distorted vision. Bulkhead tossed a car end over end into the air, and Arcee delivered a plasma shot to its undercarriage. Another blast lit up the world as its fuel tank exploded, leaving a bright afterimage burned into my vision.

In my peripherals, Optimus grabbed the fake from behind and charged his blaster, but the robot wormed out of his grip. It did a neat backflip, kicking off the Prime's faceplates, using him as a springboard. It landed a few shots on Bulkhead's backside with its blasters, then landed on him. Silas sure enjoyed jumping on things. It then stabbed a clawed servo through the Wrecker's chest plating. Before it could go in too deep, the green mech wrenched its arm out, grunting as he hurled the silver robot off him and staggered.

Optimus ran back over to the silver robot–now a dull, unremarkable grey with all the mud covering it. It struggled to get up, its systems responding poorly to Silas' remote commands. The pair began trading sloppy blows.

"Why fight–" Optimus ducked to avoid a harsh blow to his helm, "us… instead of the Decepticons?" He growled.

"They haven't been on MECH's radar, other than poor Breakdown." He replied, Silas' voice sounding staticky through the robot. "And here? All these T-Cogs for the taking!" It leapt back to transform out its blasters. The right one transformed out fine, but the left got stuck halfway. He banged it against its thigh plating, but it still didn't budge. Silas growled through the robot, firing a few shots, poorly-aimed shots at Prime's chassis. Then he fired his left missile, but Optimus jumped and rolled out of the way towards the robot, transforming out his swords.

I groaned, mustering the last of my strength to stagger to my pedes. My vision still was going in and out, along with my hearing, but I could stand. I raised my blasters at the would-be-silver robot, but couldn't get a clear shot. Silas and Optimus traded blows, making it impossible for me to try and shoot the robot without hitting Prime as well. Plus, I could hardly see behind the black spots swimming in my vision. Confounded optics, glitching from the electrical shock. At least my pedes acted as grounding for the immense electrical current to travel into the ground, and it helped that I was wet so the shock could travel through the water outside my chassis as well.

Arcee noticed I was still conscious and rushed over as my legs gave out. "How have you stayed awake?" She asked accusingly, "Bee passed out right after that electric pulse hit him."

I did my best to shrug and clambered to my pedes again, "I've been told I'm resilient…" even as I spoke, my vision already began to return. I was confused, but grateful. When MECH used those guns on Starscream when they removed his T-Cog was painful enough, with blacking out on top of it.

The femme watched me warily, "Just keep those blasters pointed _away_ from me, all right?"

"I will if you do." I hissed back, running towards the two fighting mechs. It felt beyond weird, illogical, and downright dangerous to have the femme watching my back. The last time we both were part of a fight, we were furiously trying to rip the other's spark out. Well, Starscream was. Sharing memories is tricky.

It wasn't exactly reassuring that she had my back now, I'd rather just have jetted out of this mess and left it for the Autobots to clean up. But Starscream and I needed that energon, and I probably would also need some repairs after this was over. I'd rather just swipe the energon and go, but I didn't have much of a choice surrounded by Autobots.

Optimus and the robot were evenly matched; trading blows like dance partners that were equally skilled and equally Pit-bent on terminating the other. The femme and I stopped to watch side by side.

"Silas!" I roared at the robot, "Do you really think you can win? We destroyed all your little minions and their helicopters! Your creation will soon join them!"

It glanced over to me, and that was all the leverage Optimus needed. He began ruthlessly pummeling the smaller mech. I smirked, picturing Silas at the controls in the confines of his base, frantically trying to regain command over his machine. Too bad there wasn't just an antenna we could have snapped off, killing the radio signal. That would've been _so_ much easier.

Optimus finally raised his sword over the robot's dented faceplates. It was unnerving to see a mirror image of myself– _Starscream_ , I corrected, getting the scrap pounded out of it. I flinched and hastily looked away as the sword came down on the mech's neck cables in a cruel, silver arc.

* * *

"Project: Chimera will continue." MECH's leader promised, then spoke into a radio. "Ground units, salvage my T-Cog. Leave the rest." He ordered, stepping away from the controls and black screens.

"Aye, sir," chorused the troops.

Silas shut off the radio, addressing his soldiers in the warehouse with him. "The system worked perfectly, up until the radio transponder was damaged. Now that I know their fighting styles, we can construct a new Transformer inspired by a different model." A schematic of Optimus Prime's chassis appeared on the screens with little notes marking certain things branching off it. "When I command the power of the living machines, MECH will be unstoppable."

* * *

"Watch where you stick that thing!" I yelped, batting Ratchet's welder away from a half-closed scratch on my left arm that I had no memory of acquiring.

"Hold still, and I might make it hurt less." The medic replied.

I grumbled but complied. They had to practically drag me into their base, so I wasn't able to retrieve Starscream's T-Cog. And if I went out there right now, I was certain I would only find mud, clouds, and the cold, unrelenting rain. MECH cleans up quickly–it was one of the things they're best at.

"Don't take it personally, Ratch." Bulkhead placated, "I've heard Screamer's never been a great patient. Or had great patience, for that matter." He chuckled to himself. Arcee and Bumblebee rolled their optics. Ratchet said the yellow scout had regained consciousness shortly before the Autobots and I entered their base. Again. I was the last to receive repairs, naturally.

"Please." I huffed, "Knock Out is insufferable. And I believe I've made it plenty clear more than once that I am _not_ Starscream. Or did that piece of information just slip your small processor?"

"If anyone's got a small processor, it's you." He retorted.

I frowned, "Oh, you wound me!" if only he knew… wait. Optimus did. But the red mech was keeping awfully silent, it made me nervous. _Why is he–_

"Seven," Optimus said, emerging from his thoughts. "may I speak with you in private?" My optics widened.

"Ah, ah, I'm not sure that's wise." Ratchet interjected, slowly welding other minor scrapes shut along my frame.

"I've had more than my share of opportunities to harm you all." I retorted defensively. "I didn't even have to fly over here and risk my neck for a few cubes of energon, but I DID! If I had really wanted to hurt all of you, I would have just flown back to the _Nemesis_ , prancing through its halls to tell LORD Megatron of your base's location. So a simple 'thank you' will suffice!" I pointed out indignantly.

"Yeah, out of the goodness of your spark." Arcee muttered.

"Don't forget, we know where you're hiding out too." Ratchet warned.

My wings snapped up, "Be thankful that Starscream didn't scrap you when he had the chance, Arcee!" I hissed. The three human children watched with wide eyes from the platform in silence.

"Ratchet, I assure you, we will be fine." Optimus promised. I silently agreed with him. On any other occasion I'd end them and fly out of their base, but we―meaning Starscream and I, needed that energon. And hearing Optimus' thoughts on this might be of some use, especially since he knew what was really going on.

* * *

The "private area" turned out to be the quarantine showers with the door closed tightly.

"What?" I asked, already on edge. I put as much distance between the Prime and myself as possible, until the tips of my wings brushed against the wall.

"What happened to Starscream?" To-the-point. I found Optimus' way of questioning to be much more preferable than Megatron's; his was always indirect with subtle traps placed at every corner in his words. Not to mention that I–or Starscream would get the scrap beaten out of us if we accidentally said the wrong thing. The stakes were certainly higher with the warlord.

"He… uh…" I fidgeted my wings, unsure of where to begin and how much to reveal.

"What happened first and how, losing his wings, or… shrinking?"

I shook my helm, "The shrink ray. Megatron zapped him with it and voilà, six feet tall. At least, that's how I think it happened." I bit my glossa, fearing I had said too much.

"And his wings?"

"The human, Will, cut them off, uh, per his instructions." I winced at how badly that sounded.

"I have never known him to be self-destructive." Optimus said somberly, eyeing me with a new air of caution.

"Oh, it wasn't without reason." I explained quickly. "One of them, his right, was crushed and bent prior to: beyond repair. And it was beyond painful—he didn't have any other choice. Plus he would have been unbalanced walking around with only one."

"Then why did he…"

"Clone me?" I finished. "To have an extra set of servos on deck that he deemed reliable. May I receive my energon now?" I replied impatiently.

He studied me, "You would be his equal if he retained his T-Cog, stature and wings?"

"Yes." I confirmed. "We are supposed to share the same thoughts, memories, and emotions, and he even would feel my pain were I injured."

"Supposed to?" He queried. Primus, what was this, twenty questions?

"I say 'supposed to' because we only share memories, and even those are only prior to my cloning."

The Prime nodded solemnly. "How did he clone you?" He asked after about a minute of silence.

"Oh, he found a protoform," I examined the tips of my talons, "tidbits of this and that, and managed to get an operational enough system scrapped together to perform the procedure." I chose to let the rather sensitive information lie about I was one of six said protoforms that were tucked away in one of the _Harbinger_ 's labs. "You promised energon."

* * *

A handful of minutes later, I carried a nice haul of energon cubes through an Autobot ground bridge to the outside of my half of the _Harbinger_.

"Home, sweet home…" I sighed, adjusting my grip on the cubes. The stack was so tall that it shielded my line of sight. I had to awkwardly tilt my helm to get a good view of my surroundings. I smiled, it was a problem that I liked having. I plodded through the gouge in the roof that served as my front door, heel struts clacking loudly and echoing strangely in the empty ship. Well, empty save for the irritating pair of humans and my wingless double. I sighed again. I should have been feeling triumphant after my– _our_ victory over MECH, however small, and the new energon cubes. But a pit grew beneath my chest plate as I realized something after my encounter with MECH.

I stepped over the threshold onto the derelict ship's bridge, seeing Starscream, Will and Oliver standing near each other. They paused in their conversations as I dumped the cubes out of my arms only the floor.

I took a deep intake, locking eyes and optics with each of them. "We can't do this alone."


	23. 22 - Metal

XXII - Metal

Seven walked into the room, bringing our planning to a halt. He carried an armload of energon cubes, which he promptly deposited on the floor.

"We can't do this alone." His optics shifted around to each of us.

"It's taken all this time for you to realize that?! Of course we can't—that… that's why you're here!" I hissed.

"Hold up," Oliver raised his arms, pointing at the larger Seeker, "are you saying Scream should run back to Megatron? Rejoin the 'Cons?"

"Or even link arms with the 'Bots and skip off into the sunset?" Will suggested.

My clone locked optics with me, smiling ruefully. "I–ah, may have forged an alliance with them…" he trailed off, kicking an energon cube. I found my optics searching his chest plate in vain for the Autobot shield.

"YOU WHAT?!" I screeched.

"We fought MECH, and Optimus had a few questions for me regarding your welfare. I shortly thereafter received the energon and they ground bridged me here. And now here we sta–" There was a small popping sound and his chassis seized up, then he leaned against the wall, now sitting more than standing. His intakes came in ragged pants, optics flickering.

"Seven!" Oliver exclaimed, looking back to me. "What's wrong with him?" The pair of humans darted over to him, carefully weaving in and out of the scattered energon cubes.

My optics narrowed slightly, "I'm not sure…"

"I'm fine…" he said hoarsely.

"Sure you are." Oliver replied sarcastically. My clone's chassis suddenly went slack against the wall.

"What! Is he–" Will whispered, voicing all our thoughts.

I could see his chest plate gently rising and falling with each intake, "No. Hm, what could have caused that so suddenly?" I asked nervously, tapping a finger on my chin in a staccato rhythm and scrutinized his frame.

"Seven!" Oliver shouted, kicking the silver mech's thigh. "Out cold." He announced.

I sent Will to the med bay to grab one of those remote scanners. Ratchet was lucky, he had one built into his arm. He returned a minute later, turning it on and swept the blue light over my clone's chassis.

"Can you make heads or tails of this?" He pointed to the screen. I leaned over to afford a better view of it. It was huge for him; he had to carry it awkwardly with both arms. I felt Oliver leaning over my shoulder as well to peek at the it.

I skimmed the various readings scrolling down the screen, "There was a massive surge here," I circled a large area of the screen, "It appears that he was shot by one of MECH's fragging electrical pulse guns. The energy scrambling nodes we stuck under his plating must have hindered the surge at first, but once it fried them…"

"Zap." Oliver finished grimly. Will mimed getting electrocuted, adding unnecessary sound effects.

I glanced at him, "Whatever strikes your fancy. The stasis effect only lasts a few minutes–"

"How do you know?" The human asked uncertainty.

"Because it happened to _me_ with MECH's betrayal!" I growled.

"Right. Sorry." He suddenly found his shoes to be the most intriguing thing in the room.

"Scream…?" Oliver asked, nudging my left shoulder plate with the tip of his finger.

"Don't call me that." I snapped, shoving his hand away.

"If it only lasts a few minutes," he continued, "shouldn't he have woken up now?"

"Hard to say." I shrugged, "If the nodes halted the surge until it overcame them, it could have amassed even more energy behind the walls…"

"Don't lose me here, Screamer." Will cautioned. I sighed loudly at the nickname, looking to the other human.

"What he's saying is that it could've packed a bigger punch by building up more energy before the doohickeys collapsed." Oliver explained.

"You could have just said that!" Will pointed at me accusingly.

"I did!"

"This isn't the time to start bickering!" Oliver pointed out, glaring at each of us. "How do we move him to the med bay?"

"Gee, maybe if we had a flatbed truck and a crane…" Will trailed off sarcastically, making animated gestures.

"Will has a point. He will have to stay here for the moment." I bit my lip, unsure of what else to do.

"You mean until he comes out of it." Oliver replied coldly, as if implying he wouldn't.

"He will. It might not be soon, but he will." I assured them, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt. "I'm no medic, but I'd love to get an energon line into him just to be safe."

"Why don't we just call Ratchet?" Will offered.

"Primus… that old bot should be… more careful where… he sticks… his welder." Seven groaned. He pushed himself back into a more-or-less sitting position, lightly shaking his helm. "How–" he looked around blearily at all of us. I was startled by how dim his optics were. "Please don't tell me I have an expiry date." He sighed, sitting up a bit better with a small wince.

"None that we're aware of." I replied. Will mimed getting electrocuted again, in full view of my clone. Oliver slapped him.

"Sev, recharge or whatever you do really improves your looks. You don't scowl as much." Will chuckled, naturally bringing on a scowl from my clone.

"Will you… oh, never mind!" I growled, then relayed our theory with the nodes.

Seven snarled at the wall, "A MECH soldier got me from behind with his pulse rifle."

"Called it!" Oliver said.

After giving him a glare, Seven pulled the ground bridge remote out from between his thigh plating, sliding it across the floor. Then he plucked a fried node out from under the left side of his chest plate, and another from under where one of his wings connected to his back.

"Hey, can I see that?" Will asked, pointing to the first of the nodes.

"Why?" My clone asked suspiciously.

"Uh, we're supposed to build a remote control car in my robotics class—it's a big project we've been working on and I'm a mile behind everyone else because I've been spending my hours here. But if I could–"

Seven crushed it under his servo. "We can do better than a fried piece of scrap." Will looked crestfallen as my double crushed the second.

Oliver smiled darkly, "Speaking of school, remember that project we have for English, _old sport_?"

Will groaned loudly.

Oliver looked back to the crushed node, "It was worthless anyway. It wouldn't have done you any favors other than maybe cutting you." he shrugged. "Sev's right, it was fried. Don't worry, we could grab a Vehicon's dead chassis if you wanted to from our run to the _Nemesis_." he chuckled.

"I'm not sure how I would carry that…" Seven mused.

Will threw his hands into the air, "You know what? Never mind. I'll figure something out; half my friends are robots."

"Hey, just because you are helping me does NOT make you my friends." I growled.

"Sure sure, do you even have any?" Oliver asked bluntly. "Know what it's like, even?"

I opened my mouth to roll off the list… but realized too late there wasn't a list. And the longer I waited, the sadder and uglier the answer became. I finally just snapped my mouth shut and glared at the wall. Again.

Will cleared his throat, looking at me, "Okay mister sensitive," then he looked up to Seven, who was on his pedes now, "you two are still going?"

"Of course!" I snapped, glaring at my clone.

"Must I shuttle him up there?" He groaned.

"You and I both know there isn't another choice." I replied. "Better your cockpit than mine…"

"Hey, I've ridden in it before!" Oliver exclaimed, jogging over to his costume. "It couldn't have been that bad."

"That's what you think," he grumbled. "And besides, at the time it was imperative. We had no means of contacting Starscream. This time, however, we have the ground bridge remote."

"A work of art." My optics fell onto the device. "That thing has saved my aft more times than I have fingers."

"A work of art that also _got fried_." Will pointed out.

"Actually, my armor might have shielded it." Seven stated matter-of-factly. strode over to said remote and punched a few buttons on its screen. A portal opened on the other side of the room. I closed it a second later.

Seven grinned, smugly crossing his arms. "I told you so."

Oliver strapped on the jet engine part of his costume to his back, pulling on the straps to make sure they were secure.

"Leaving so soon?" Seven whimpered a little, looking away at the sight and grimacing.

"I agree." I began, but Will interrupted before I could continue.

"Of course you do," he muttered, "you both are practically the same person."

My clone and I exchanged a glance.

"It you would so kindly let me explain," I said, fixing the human with a frown, "Seven is still recovering–"

"I told you, I'm fine!" My clone protested.

"That's what you said right before you…" Will said, closing his eyes and sticking out his tongue.

Oliver rolled his eyes, "Let's hope it isn't a trend."

"As I was saying," I interrupted, clearing my vocalizer loudly, "while my clone recuperates," Seven visibly bit his glossa at that, "Will will help you prepare for the trip." I nodded at Oliver. "What is so funny?!" I snapped. Will was biting his tongue and shaking his head, a smirk on his lips in silent laughter.

"I get that all the time." He explained vaguely.

"We're flying all that way again?" Oliver asked.

"Did I fail to mention the ground bridge remote?" Seven replied dryly.

"Oh, right. Can't you just send us straight aboard the ship with it then?"

I looked to my clone, "I swear, these two are worse than the drones."

He nodded gravely, "At least one can beat some sense into them…" he trailed off almost wistfully, gazing into the distance as if lost to internal musings. I watched him warily, unsure whether he would pass out again or not. His optics were still dangerously dim. I had a feeling he was doing his best to hide his exhaustion, but it showed through in his optics and posture somewhat.

"Even though the _Harbinger_ 's systems remain synced to Megatron's warship, we cannot bridge directly there because of the signal dampeners and scramblers. Even if we could, you would be spotted almost immediately." I clarified.

"So we will bridge a few miles or so away from the ship," Seven explained, slowly wincing as he pushed himself to his pedes.

"Just to be safe. One can never be too cautious." I finished.

"Especially with Megatron involved." He added. "Then I will… _fly_ you the rest of the way." He said through gritted denta.

"As I said, better you than me." I suppressed a smirk.

"Oh, I am going to have a field day scrubbing my cockpit clean." He groaned.

This time I couldn't help but chuckle a little, hastily turning it into a cough when he started glaring at me.

"I shower!" Oliver protested.

"In oily human water!"

He angrily tugged on the boots for his costume, muttering something about water treatment plants. "These heels are ridiculous!"

Seven and I both glowered at him. He only huffed, latching on the plating for his left arm beneath the elbow.

"It was your idea." Will said, picking up the right wing and holding it up high, examining it in the light. "This looks like real metal," the human remarked.

Will tried to latch the left wing on but Seven stopped him, "No. He can carry those; he won't fit in my cockpit otherwise."

"Alright." He shrugged, casting them aside for the moment. "So why exactly can't we do this alone?"

Seven sighed, leaning back against the wall. "Megatron surely has added tighter security since my escape from his warship. Oliver's attempt will not go unnoticed, and if a bot went with him he would be even more conspicuous. I recommend that we enlist the help of one of the Autobots' humans—preferably Jack. They have been inside Megatron's warship a few times, and more or less know its layout. We don't exactly have time to draw a map."

"Miko would try tag along." Will pointed out.

"Yes, the Autobots certainly can't seem to keep a very tight lease on their humans, can they?" I smirked.

* * *

"A high frequency signal… with an embedded message." Ratchet announced.

"Again? Should we even bother wondering who it's from?" Arcee huffed wryly, crossing her arms.

"Hold on, Arcee." The medic replied, "It says: For your leader's optics only. Hm."

"What's so important that Screamer's gotta take it straight to Optimus?" Miko asked excitedly.

Ratchet looked at the Prime, "See for yourself." he stepped away from the console to allow the larger mech more room.

Optimus' optics carefully scanned the Cybertronian text. He deleted the message, deep in thought for a few moments after reading it twice. But then he seemingly made up his mind. The Autobots and humans all looked at him expectantly.

"Ratchet, prepare the ground bridge. Jack, Bumblebee, will you accompany me to the _Harbinger_?" He turned to face the bot and human, a serious expression on his faceplates.

"Why me?" Jack asked, startled.

"I believe Seven and Starscream will do better jobs explaining their plans." He answered vaguely.

"Optimus," Arcee protested, stepping forward, "it's one thing to put Bee in danger, but Jack? What does he have to do with this?"

"I am not certain yet, but do not think for a second that he will be unprotected."

"Then why do I hear an edge in your voice?" The blue femme challenged.

"Arcee, if you are wondering why I am not having you accompany Jack instead, it is because your judgement may be clouded because of your anger over the loss of Cliffjumper. Many good bots have perished in this war, and I will do everything in my power to keep that number from growing. But holding personal grudges will put us all at risk, you know I cannot condone any casualties. Autobot, or human."

She looked away and her words came out in a low growl. "Cliff was my partner. But he was also a part of this team. And now you want his killer to become some 'honorary Autobot'!"

Ratchet pushed down the lever, "I have to agree with Optimus on this one. Jack, Bumblebee." He jerked his helm towards the waiting bridge. The yellow mech transformed out his blasters, following Optimus and Jack through the portal.

* * *

I stood atop the far side of the _Harbinger_ , staring at a lumpy rock formation with my servos folded neatly behind my back. A ground bridge opened some ways behind me, by the sound of it.

"Optimus Prime," I purred, slowly turning around, "you don't waste time."

"Hey, that rhymes!" Miko giggled from behind one of Bumblebee's pedes.

"I told you and the boy to come alone!" I snarled, my voice an octave higher than I would've liked.

[Plans change.] The scout whirled, readying a blaster.

My optics narrowed at the sight of it, "That won't be necessary."

"And since when do we listen to you?" Jack shot back.

"As I recall," I continued, "I recently did a favor for all of you. So, your debt will not go unpaid if you do a favor for me."

"The doc patched you up and we gave you an armful of energon!" Miko protested. "What more do you want?"

Jack shushed her, "Why do you need me?" I took a few steps towards them, only to be stopped when Bumblebee raised his blasters.

"Fine." I huffed, looking to Prime. "Send the girl and the yellow one away and perhaps I'll tell you."

"They will remain here." He replied stoutly.

"But Optimus, Miko isn't even supposed to be here!" Jack protested.

"Then I will not reveal anything." I hissed lowly. Suddenly I was staring down the barrels of two sets of blasters. The humans scuttled behind their bots for protection.

I raised my arms as well, pointing my missiles at the mechs. "Lower those blasters or I will shoot your arms off." I snarled.

We stared each other down for a tense few seconds that felt like hours. Then Optimus dropped his arms to his sides, transforming them back. Bumblebee followed suit. I somewhat reluctantly lowered mine as well.

"Speak." He commanded.

I sighed, picking at the tips of my fingers and ruffling my wings. "Where to start…" Bumblebee looked at me impatiently as the humans tentatively stepped out from behind the other bots. "Let's step inside. You'll think I'm crazy if I don't have proof."

[Screamy's being polite?] Bumblebee exclaimed quietly. [That's a first.]

"Seven, actually." I corrected him, plodding inside through the gouge in the wreck's roof.

"I thought he already was crazy…" Miko whispered to Jack behind her hand.

"If this is a trap and you hurt any of my Autobots or the humans, you will pay for it with your spark." Optimus warned.

My wings dipped, "Is there no trust? No fairness?"

"You would know." Miko replied cooly. I glowered at her but bit my glossa, swallowing a retort.

* * *

When we entered the _Harbinger_ 's bridge, I was met with Oliver and Will playing frisbee with one of the costume's wings.

"Oh, hey Sev." Oliver waved at me with a clawed hand of the costume, then tossed the wing over to the other human.

"How many times do I have to remind you two NOT to call me that!" I spat, striding deeper into the room while the Autobots remained at the threshold.

"Hello to you too–wait, the 'Bots are here already?" He asked as the edge of the wing smacked him in the side of his head from a high throw by Will. "Penalty! Red card!" He shouted, picking it up off the floor and flung it back towards the other human.

"This isn't soccer!" Will chuckled, nimbly catching the low pass.

"Is that Starscream?" Miko asked quietly, not-so-subtly pointing at Oliver.

Oliver pulled off the costume's helm and looked at her, "Boo!"

"Where is he?" Optimus asked.

"Put that away." I ordered the humans. "Starscream?" I called out, optics scanning the room.

"He's over there." Will jerked his thumb in a general direction behind him. He spun around, needlessly cupping his hands over his mouth. "Screamer! We started the party without you!"

The diminutive Seeker walked into our line of sight and sprang off the console, landing nimbly on the floor and spread his servos as wide as the Autobots' optics and eyes.

"As you can see, we have a problem."

* * *

 **A/N: Just one, Starscream? That's optimistic of you. You have many problems.**


	24. 23 - Metal II

XXIII - Metal II

Miko broke the silence first. "Whoa, you're, like, human size! That's soooo adorable!" she squealed.

"Someone needs a filter," Will muttered to Oliver. The other human chuckled.

I scowled at her, "That? THAT?! Call me 'adorable' again and I will–"

"Yep, warm and fuzzy all around." Will smirked.

"Do not start with me, human." I spat at him. Bumblebee buzzed, asking what happened.

"I'd rather not say." I replied vaguely, picking at the Decepticon insignia on my chest plate.

"We will not aid you if you do not tell us what is really going on." Optimus stated firmly.

"You already know." Seven snapped.

"And you didn't tell us!?" Jack exclaimed, looking to Optimus.

"It was not my secret to tell." Prime nodded at me.

"Ah, well, if there's no escaping it…"

"Nope." Miko confirmed, crossing her arms.

Seven shrugged ruefully, "Might as well. We all know you're dying to recount the gruesome details." He said sarcastically. They all looked at me expectantly.

"Megatron. This all started when he shot me with the shrink ray–"

[So that's what it was!] Bumblebee exclaimed.

"I remember. Why were you there?" Optimus asked.

"I was starving and couldn't—still cannot access my wings due to what those savages called MECH did to me." I tried my best not to spit out the words, instead they came out in a soft growl. "I thought it might have been an energon signature… but it was the shrink ray instead. To think I was inches away from obtaining it pains me to no end!"

Seven adroitly twirled said ray around in the corner of the room.

"Wait, you guys have it!" Miko yelped, seeing what my clone was doing.

"Seven, surrender the ray or face the consequences." Optimus ordered.

"This is why we need you." He theatrically flared his wings and spun it the opposite way, pointing it at Bumblebee. Before the scout and Prime could react, he pressed the button that activated the device. It sparked at the tip, then fizzled out. "There you have it." He let it clatter to the floor beside him.

"Dude, I thought you were totally going to just zap Bee!" Miko squealed.

"Is it damaged?" The Prime asked.

"No. But only Megatron can use it, it is imprinted with his CNA and his alone." Seven explained.

"Like the key to Vector Sigma." Jack added. "I was the only person able to use it after Optimus gave it to me." I nodded gravely in understanding, even though I wasn't involved in any of that. "But your wings…" he trailed off.

"Will here cut them off." I huffed. The human waved cheerfully. "My right was agonizingly crushed and thus beyond repair, and I would be unbalanced with only one."

"He's already unbalanced." Miko whispered to Jack.

"And I will pretend to not have heard that." I hissed.

"So what are your grand, amazing plans?" Jack asked. "And what do they have to do with me?"

"You see, Jack," I began, "Seven shall fly Oliver up to Megatron's warship–"

"Wait, did you say _Megatron's warship_?!"

"Yes I did." I planted my servos on my hips, "At least let me finish speaking before you shoot me down."

"Alright, alright." Jack held his hands up in mock surrender.

"As I was saying, it will be a short flight because I can open a ground bridge a mile or so away from the ship so you all can enter under the radar. After Seven drops you off, I will bridge him back here where we will wait to hear from you. I've already instructed Oliver on how to operate the warship's communication units. Jack, I am hoping you will be his guide around it, seeing as you have been inside a few times prior to now."

"W-why can't Seven just do it?" He suggested.

My clone's words came out in a soft growl, "Because the first and last time I was aboard that infernal ship, I had to give Knock Out an unplanned visit."

"Why send a human to do a bot's job?" Miko challenged.

"Perhaps because this is not exactly a 'bot's job.'" I huffed. "And I am not merely referring to the Autobots."

"Oh, why not?" Jack asked.

"Because if either of us are spotted aboard Megatron's warship—" Seven began to explain.

"—the good doctor would have to scrape us off the floor." I finished.

Jack rubbed his hands together, "I see what you mean."

"Hey! I'm coming too!" Miko piped up.

"What? I didn't say I–" Jack protested, but she shushed him, pressing a finger over his mouth.

"Dude!" She hissed, "This could be our only chance to put a few dents in Megatron!"

"I haven't even said what you will do yet!" I growled.

"I'm all ears." Oliver said, pretending to fire one of the fake missiles at Bumblebee, who seemed amused by it.

Oliver spoke up, "Yeah, Sev's going to fly me and Jack–"

"And me." Miko added, planting her hands on her hips in a "whatever you say can't stop me" gesture.

"And Miko," he acknowledged, "up to Megatron's big bad warship, plain and simple." Will punched him in the arm. "Okay, I deserved that." He admitted, still smirking at the pun.

"Oh, it will be anything but simple." I pointed out. "You will not only have to board the _Nemesis_ , but procure some of Megatron's CNA."

"Wh-how are we supposed to do that?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Try asking Knock Out. He's bound to have some samples or something in a jar somewhere, spare parts and the like." Seven shrugged.

" _You_ want _us_ to ask Doc Knock!?" Miko exclaimed.

I crossed my arms matter-of-factly, "Yes, we do."

"And you will." My clone added.

"Wicked!" she breathed.

"Starscream, Seven, I will not allow you to endanger humans merely to further your own selfish aims." Optimus said somberly. "I cannot condone any casualties, human or Autobot."

"Believe me, the only thing I have to lose after my status, stature, and T-Cog is my very function!" I screeched.

"I'd be surprised if that happens anytime soon," Seven huffed, looking bemused.

"I wasn't asking you!" I snapped at him.

"You in?" Oliver asked, and put the costume's helm on again, extending a clawed hand to Jack.

"I so am!" Miko grinned, stepping forwards.

Jack looked to Optimus, "Why exactly should we help him?"

" _I_ told you where Megatron was hiding his space bridge, didn't I? And not only that, but I also gave you Airachnid's location when she was plotting her revenge on M—mankind!" I protested. "And Seven finished off Silas' accursed robot for you all, only receiving a few meager energon cubes in return!"

"Jack, I am strongly against putting you or anyone else at unnecessary risk. But, you have a right to choose, and that choice is yours to make. Know that I will do everything in my power to keep you from being harmed." Optimus maintained.

The human rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Unnecessary?!" I grumbled. I couldn't even begin to think of anything that was more paramount than this! Well, actually, my own survival for starters, followed by usurping Megatron… so I could think of a couple things.

"Plus, we have blackmail in case Sev here gets touchy!" She flipped out her pink phone and pulled up a picture, shoving it at me. I backed up instinctively. It was a picture of Seven's bewildered faceplates, and judging by the background, it had been taken in the Autobots' base.

"I-what–you little…" Seven growled, swiping at her and missed as she ducked.

"Can I see?" Will asked eagerly. She tossed him her phone. Oliver huddled closer to look, and they both simultaneously broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Ha!" Will said in between laughs. "Oh, you have GOT to send me that!"

"No one is sending anyone anything!" I snapped. "You humans and your idiotic social media…"

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose, "I-I can't…" Seven's wings dipped, "I can't believe I'm saying this… but I'll go."

"Ha, ha, yes!" Miko yelped, bouncing up and down in excitement. "Coolest team up ever! Us three are going to have a blast! Team Prime and Team Scream!"

"But we still have a problem." Will stated seriously, crossing his arms.

"Oh, _now_ what?" I groaned, anxiously wringing my servos.

"How do I get added to that list?"

* * *

I quietly stared out Seven's cockpit, watching the scant clouds blur past. The jet had been unusually silent for the majority of the ride, save for a couple robotic comments here and there. And that included ignoring Miko's demands to "do loop-de-loops, barrel rolls" and, of course, "go faster!"

"Seven? You okay?" I wondered as we hit a pocket of turbulence.

"I'm fine." He replied curtly.

"You really don't want to be doing this, do you?" I prodded quietly.

He sighed, "I would rather not, were it up to myself alone."

Miko whistled lowly, "What happened to you?"

"I would rather not discuss it." He replied stoutly.

"You sure?" Jack jumped in.

He sighed in annoyance, "Quite."

"Ouch." Miko said, letting the conversation drop.

"Do you think Optimus feels bad for Screamer?" I asked after a minute or so, picking at the tips of the talons on my costume. The silence shattered like glass.

"I'm sure he does." Jack answered without hesitation. "He always tries to emphasize with everyone when they're struggling. But maybe not as much with Starscream, you know, because he's Starscream." he explained not-so-eloquently. "But who knows?" he added as an afterthought.

"Sorry to break up the pity party, but we are nearly at the _Nemesis_." Seven's voice bounced around the inside of his cockpit.

"Sweet!" Miko yelped. My hands and Jack's jumped up to cover our ears. "Hey Oliver, couldn't you have checked those wings?"

"As in what? Tie them under Seven's intake? Miko, he isn't a 747. The only thing we can do is carry-on." I smirked. "Otherwise, we'd have strapped you to the top of his cockpit."

She slapped me. "Whoa, dude, check it out!" She pressed her face to the glass and pointed the best she could in the cramped cockpit. I could almost feel Seven scowling. We all followed her finger. the _Nemesis_ emerged from a massive cloud and glided over us, engines humming.

"Now that's a ship." I said weakly.

"Too late to go back now." Jack reminded me.

I shook my head, "No. I'm good." Seven blasted his thruster, engines whining and we shot upwards, skimming the side of the ship.

"Are you just going to dump us up here?" Miko asked suspiciously as we crested over the top.

"The sooner, the better." He answered.

"So, making sure we're all together on this, we snatch a scrap of metal with Megatron's CNA in it from Knock Out, and then call for pickup." Jack said.

"Yup." Miko bobbed her head, pigtails quivering.

"Starscream taught me how to operate the communication units scattered around the ship." I announced.

"Could you say that a bit louder? I don't think Hong Kong heard you." Miko commented dryly.

"You don't need to shout, we're all right here." Jack agreed with more tact.

"Sorry," I muttered apologetically, "this helmet really muffles my hearing."

"Tin man." Miko chuckled.

"Dorothy."

"Then who's Jack?" she mused.

I thought for a second, "Toto."

"Hey–" he started to protest before the jet stopped him.

"Shut up! We are at the _Nemesis_!" He transformed, holding Miko and Jack in a clawed servo, me in the other. The three of us slid off and onto the ship. I stumbled, blaming the heels. I didn't know how Starscream or his clone could stand them.

"Hey!" I hissed at Jack. "Can you help me with these?" I tried attaching the left wing onto my back, fumbling with the strap a little. Jack came behind me, tightening it as needed and securing the other as well. I twisted around to see them from a better angle, "Now that's more like it."

"I still don't get why you need that creepy costume." Miko wondered. Seven shot her a glare.

"To get any of the 'Con's attention if we're spotted. If they just saw a trio of humans, they'd squish us without a second thought. But if they think I'm Starscream–"

"Who was hit by the shrink ray…" Jack added thoughtfully.

I nodded, "Exactly. They might want to hear what I have to say."

"Ah, here is your best point of entry." Seven grunted and wrenched at the cover of a ventilation duct.

"Seriously? We get to crawl through alien dust bunnies?" Miko groused.

"Would you rather be shot at?" Jack countered. Then the silver mech stumbled backwards as the cover came off with a clatter.

"That was loud." I whispered nervously, expecting drones to start pouring out from behind corners at any second. And they did. The doors to the hangar opened and two Vehicons rushed out, blasters at the ready. There was nowhere to hide.

"Intruder!"

"Intruder? What's your malfunction?" Seven snapped, stalking over to them. "I am your commanding officer! Lower those weapons immediately, unless you wish Lord Megatron to hear of this incident!"

"What's he doing?" Miko whispered.

"Buying time." Jack and I hissed back in unison. "Go, go, go!" I shepherded them towards the open shaft before the drones could spot us.

The drones exchanged a glance. "I'm sorry… sir. But our standing orders are to take you into custody of Lord Megatron should you ever return here." The second declared, as if reading off a script.

"Wh–clearly there has been some sort of mistake." Seven covered swiftly. The drones were hard to read, but they still looked skeptical.

"Starscream, it is nonnegotiable. We will escort you to Lo–" The first drone said, raising his blaster just as Seven's talons sank past his wrist into the purple mech's chest plate. The Vehicon let out a strangled gasp, falling to the floor with a thud. The second drone backpedaled, touching a finger to the comm unit on the side of his helm.

"Lord Megatron! Starscream is here on the upper de–" The drone managed to shout until one of Seven's pedes connected brutally with the side of his helm. Then a blaster shot silenced him.

The three of us stared in shock at the pair of dead chassis, frozen in place.

"Well don't just stand there, move!" The Seeker hissed, already taking off in the opposite direction. We all stumbled towards the open vent, clambering inside without hesitation. Except for me. Confused, I watched Seven making neat circles above around our little trio.

"What are you doing! Get out of here!" I shouted in a stage-whisper.

He flew down closer to us, "My comm link is jammed; I can't contact Starscream for a ground bridge!" His voice had taken on a note of panic.

"Dude, chill out! You can just fly back there!" Miko hissed.

"Look out!" Seven exclaimed. The silver jet zoomed away down the length of the ship, not going nearly fast enough. He was maybe halfway to making it off the far end before a larger troop of Vehicons flooded from the hangar's open doors, led by none other than Megatron himself. The F-16 immediately had their full and undivided attention. They simultaneously fired a wave of plasma at the fleeing jet, but Megatron turned on them, "NO! Starscream is _mine_ to deal with! Return to your stations!" the warlord roared.

In a streak of luck, all of the shots missed Seven. The Vehicons left, leaving Megatron and Seven. He fired a bolt of purple plasma, aiming for where Seven would be. The jet had no time to dodge, and it went clean through his wing. The Seeker shuddered in the air and entered a spiraling fall to the ship's deck and skidded down the length of it in his alt mode, sparks trailing him.

"Se–!" I shouted and tried to dart forwards, but Miko clapped her hand over my mouth and grabbed my arm.

"Dude, _Megatron's still here_! Shh!" She hissed, stealing a glance upwards to make sure he hadn't heard.

Seven's thruster kicked back online and he began to rise, but Megatron's pede came down hard onto the top of his fuselage. "Why the rush?" the warlord snarled, pressing down harder until the tip of the F-16's nose cone almost touched the deck.

"No rush, my liege!" Seven's voice slipped up an octave. "Th-this isn't what it looks like!"

"Were you trying to board my ship in an attempt to steal some energon for yourself? You have some nerve!" Megatron barked. "Answer me!" he pushed down harder and Seven let out a strangled gasp.

"Why isn't he transforming?" Miko hissed.

"Uh, Miko? He'd get crushed." Jack pointed out in a whisper.

"He will regardless unless we do something!" I shot back in an equally quiet tone.

"Oliver, he's gotten out of these situations before, right? Do you want to get squashed too?" She retorted.

"I hope you're right," I conceded with a worried frown.

"ANSWER ME!" The warlord roared. Some of Seven's plating was starting to give beneath Megatron's pede.

"I-I would never… hoard your energon for… my own personal use… my Lord." the jet said between pants. "P-please, you m-misunderstand…"

"What were you hoping to gain from venturing here?" He taunted, not expecting an answer. "A shame that you did not perish in that human city, Los Angeles, was it?" Megatron smirked, "You will wish you had."

I turned away and clapped my hands over my ears when I first heard the sound of rending metal, and Seven's shrill, strained wails. It wasn't normal screaming, but something conceived of pure agony and terror. Jack plugged his ears but watched along with Miko, stunned into silence. The horrible sounds were muted somewhat, but still there. It was no use. I uncovered my ears and dared to look, transfixed in horror.

"GO!" Seven screamed, over and over. "GO!"

"Why is he saying that? Megatron isn't leaving," Miko pointed out.

A thoughtful look floated across Jack's features, "Wait, guys… what if he's talking to us? I'll stay behind, you two go and get Knock Out."

Miko and I nodded but didn't move. Megatron tore into Seven's fuselage, and the jet already had the hole through his wing. Otherwise, his wings largely were whole, sporting a few cuts here and there. But that was nothing compared to the rest of his chassis, I didn't know where to start. I turned away, knowing when to stop. But somehow, the noise stopped as well, like a switch had been thrown.

"Let that be a lesson to you, Starscream. And do not think of going for Knock Out," Megatron said, jabbing a finger at the jet—who looked like he'd been partly shredded, partly pulverized, "you would not even make the journey." And with that, Megatron spun on his heel and left with a flourish., leaving the Seeker to offline.

"Sev!" I gasped, and dashed over to him. I laid a clawed hand on the side of his fuselage to get his attention, which was slightly warm, mechanisms humming underneath. I took that as a good sign. "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," he replied hoarsely, his frame still trembling in agony. "I can't transform–it-it's too much and I-I would never make it–"

"Shh!" Miko hissed. "Stop talking! You'll be fine, you hear me? Jack can watch you and Oliver here and I'll go get Doc Knock; he can fix you up!"

The jet made a sound somewhere halfway between a laugh and a wet cough. "You can try."

* * *

"This way!" Jack hissed, pointing to the left fork in a three-way intersection inside the warship. Our three sets of feet skidded around the corner, pounding footfalls matching each frenzied beat of our hearts. I had taken off the heels for the moment and carried them, they were too uncomfortable to run in. It would just be fantastic if I twisted an ankle.

"Almost there." Miko panted.

"How far is it?" I groaned.

"Not too far." He puffed.

"My feet are killing me." the girl hissed.

"Shh, we're here!" Jack whispered back as a door loomed above us. We slid to a stop.

I banged a fist on the door and put on my best Starscream voice, "Knock Out! Let me in!"

"Dude, you sound like a kid having a hissy fit through a vocoder!" Miko taunted, catching her breath. I stepped back into the heels, giving her a look.

I cupped my hands to my mouth, "KNOCK OUT! I know you're in there! This is an emer–"

The door flew open. "Starscream?" He asked, optics completely missing us. "What is go–" He finally spotted us after I waved my arms a bit. His crimson optics widened and he burst into laughter.

"STOP!" I shouted up at him. The laughter died abruptly.

"But you–you're–" he started laughing again.

"Look," I took the helmet off, earning a gasp on his part. "I got your attention; you're not stepping on me. Got it? Alright, first things first, I'm not Starscream. Second, Seven's dy–"

"No, Ratchet got him." Jack interrupted.

I glanced at him, it was too good to be true. "Really?"

"Yeah, Optimus was about to comm him when I left." Jack assured me.

I let out a sigh of relief I hadn't realized I was holding, "Sounds good." I faced the red mech, "Well, now we can get down to business right away."

"I beg your pardon, but what is 'Seven'?" The red mech asked.

" _Who_." Jack corrected.

"Fine, _who_?"

"Screamer's stunt double!" Miko butted in. Knock Out fixed her with a confused glare. "His alter ego, double, clone, duh." She twirled a pigtail.

"Starscream made a clone of himself?! Instead of making one of _me_? This is so unfair." He complained, waving for us to come in.

"That's not the point." I argued. "Besides, you've already met him. He's the one that Megatron best the scrap out of; shattered his cockpit and everything."

The medic grimaced in sympathy, "Yes, I remember. So what does this have to do with a trio of humans? Two of which are from the Autobot collective?" The Decepticon medic mused. "I could make you my slaves that would polish me senseless at my every whim… or just crush you here and now."

"Don't get carried away there, Doc Knock. I think you should just help us out of the goodness of your spark. We're helping Screamer too." Miko huffed, crossing her arms defiantly.

"Then prove it." he challenged.

I took a deep breath, "You want the long version, huh?" He nodded. "So, all this started a little over a week ago…"


	25. 24 - Metal III

**A/N: Aw, this chapter had a picture in it. Oh well. Maybe I should translate it to binary. That would take awhile though. /10 years later.../ Wait! Would that be 10 years or 2 years... *squint* Nope, I'm done. You want Binary 101, ask Ratchet. He'll probably throw a wrench at you.**

* * *

XXIV - Metal III

"Seven!" I yelled into a comm. "Slag it, answer me you worthless piece of–"

"Starscream, he perhaps is otherwise engaged." Optimus suggested.

I huffed, "Let's hope not. I'm sending in a bridge. He's been gone far longer than I like."

"Very well."

I punched in a couple commands on the remote, and a vortex materialized in front of us.

Seven came through the ground bridge in his alt mode, which none of us expected. Jack followed at a safe distance, watching the jet warily.

"Megatron showed up," Jack said urgently, "but the others are okay; we'll be in and out!" he assured us, turning around and ran back through the bridge. It closed without another word from the human.

My clone coughed as we all watched, stunned into silence. "I-I saved the h-humans… distracted M-Megatron–" he managed to choke out, smeared with energon and taking rapid, wheezing intakes.

Aside from a couple cuts and a large hole, his wings has been spared. Deep gouges crisscrossed his fuselage, one of them almost taking off his left tail fin, and all were leaking a sluggish trickle of energon.

Bumblebee chirped in alarm, rushing forwards to help. Optimus joined him, opening a comm. "Ratchet open a ground bridge, now." The Prime ordered, his tone grim. "And prepare sickbay."

A ground bridge spiraled into existence a moment later, without a word from the medic. I supposed he was trying to hurry, correctly assuming this was no time for questions. Seven's engine sputtered and his thruster coughed to life, and the jet taxied through the bridge before anyone could get their servos on him. Optimus went second, with Bumblebee following at his heels. But the scout seemingly remembered I was here and skidded to a stop, extending a black servo to me. I climbed into it, holding tightly as he raced through the bridge behind his leader.

* * *

"Seven, listen to me. I know it will be painful, however, you must transform. My medical bay is not equipped to treat vehicles so much as it is bots." Ratchet ordered stoutly.

Seven groaned loudly, but it sounded more from exasperation than pain. "It's not so bad, d-doctor… I only have a few scrapes…" his voice had taken on a staticky edge, yet he still refused to transform, resting heavily on his landing gear. After a whole minute of silence, Ratchet sighed, "You don't have a choice in the matter! Seven, you will either transform or I will override your systems and do it for you, which, if I have heard correctly, is even more painful!"

"I could break something…" Seven whimpered, his flaps raising like the hair of an animal.

Bulkhead scoffed at that, "Yeah, and tell me one thing of yours that _isn't_ broken!"

The jet huffed in a tight way, "Fine, have it your way. Here goes…" he trailed off and transformed. It was a lot jerkier and slower than normal, but once the job was done, the bot looked even worse for wear. His chest and thigh plating made up most of his fuselage, and those were by far the most damaged places. Most of it was filmed with blue, and in some spots one could even see his protoform thanks to the sheer amount of missing metal. Worst of all, in the center of his chest plate, a sliver of his spark chamber was visible. In defiance of all of this, he was standing. "This had better pay off," he spat behind gritted denta, swaying gently. Bright blue energon dripped down his frame and collected on the floor at his pedes.

"What happened to you?" Ratchet exclaimed, coming closer as his caregiving programming began to kick in.

"M-Megatron tried t-to terminate me!" He let out a raspy, delirious laugh, "I escaped though, didn't I?" My double took an unsteady step towards Ratchet, clutching his arm and grinning like a fool. "Primus, I'm dizzy… I made it–" but all his systems seemed to offline at once and he nosedived. Ratchet—being the closest to him—jumped out and caught him under his arms just before my clone plowed headlong into the hard floor. All I could see from my vantage point were his limp wings hanging against his back, one at an angle that suggested it had been partially torn or blasted out of its socket, and his pedes dragging across the floor.

"Someone help me get him to the quarantine showers," the old bot growled. Optimus was there beside him a moment later, and together, they began to carry him away. "His locking chip activated, but why it took so long, I'm not sure–"

"Wait." I said, and hurried down the platform's stairs to follow them.

Ratchet paused and my clone's helm lolled as the medic looked at me. "And what might you think you're doing?"

"Something aside from standing here," I retorted.

"Leave him to the bots that are capable of helping him. You do want him to see tomorrow, don't you?" the white medic snapped, already turning away.

"I see no harm in allowing him to come, old friend." Optimus said. "I am capable of cleaning Seven up while you prepare your medical equipment."

"Well…" Ratchet trailed off, looking between us. "Fine."

I looked up at the Prime to express my gratitude, not knowing quite how to do it. But he had already turned away, gently holding Seven in his arms. I sighed quietly and followed.

We entered the room where the quarantine showers were located, and Optimus laid Seven down on the floor for while he turned the water on. He picked up a coarse, stained towel from a rack and began to scrub my clone's chassis clean with it, carefully skirting around his injuries. The Prime paused, stood, and grabbed the smallest towel he could find and offered it to me. Hesitating for a second, I took it, and set to work on my clone as well. I didn't make much progress, as the Prime and I both were well aware of, but it was the thought that counted. Or something like that. With all the extra energon running off his frame, he almost looked worse. All the gouges were deep, and left me at a loss as to how he had managed to stand at all, much less hold a conversation.

Optimus shut off the water once the unconscious Seeker was clean, but he was still leaking energon. At least that meant his pumps were still functioning. The water that pooled on the floor, slowly getting sucked into the drains had taken on an unnatural hue of blue, shining like oil. The Prime turned him over so he laid on his front and tugged his arm out from beneath him, the started cleaning out the cuts on his back.

He ran the towel down the length of my clone's left wing with a meticulous optic, swishing his energon off and revealing more damage. "Seeker wings are extremely sensitive, correct?" he asked quietly, raising his gaze from Seven to me.

I nodded and fingered where my own used to reside, not feeling talkative for once.

"Megatron knows this?"

I nodded again.

"It is unnecessarily cruel to inflict this much damage on a mech, any mech, in an attempt to terminate him." The Prime stated firmly. "Especially on a Seeker's wings. It is torture."

I didn't trust myself to speak. Optimus and the Autobots did not know of how Megatron mistreated me aboard the _Nemesis_ while I was his second-in-command. I never tried to think of it, and this brought back the worst of memories.

Ratchet spared me from them, bursting into the room. "I'm ready. He's clean enough, let's get him onto the berth. I don't want to waste any more time fussing over how clean his wounds are, he needs medical attention _now_." the medic pointed to it behind him. I could tell from the look in his blue optics that his medical programming was in full swing. Optimus picked Seven up after I had skittered out of the way, tossing our rags aside. Ratchet helped him by making sure Seven's wings weren't dragging across the floor.

They lifted him onto the med berth, gingerly turning him over so he laid on his wings. Ratchet moved a large, advanced-looking scanner down and around the length of my clone's broken chassis. The medic read off what he saw on the screens, "He has extensive internal trauma thanks to all those gashes, I just hope there isn't much hemorrhaging or blockage inside. He needs surgery, certainly. Primus, I can't believe I'm doing this for Starscream or his clone…"

"You'll do fine, doc." Bulkhead placated. "How long's he got?"

Ratchet set down the scanner, "If I leave him like this? A few hours, at most. But I am not going to, so pass me that scalpel." he pointed to said tool on a messy table next to him.

"Hey, uh, Starscream?" Raf asked tentatively, adjusting his glasses and diverting my attention from my clone as I walked back up to the platform. "What happened to him?"

My optics narrowed and I frowned in thought. "I'm not quite sure… perhaps there was an ambush." I leaned against the platform's railing and crossed my arms, sighing. A fist seemed to clench around my spark. _Primus, don't let him offline_ , I thought. _Though he doesn't look like it, he's hardly a week old!_

"D-do you think Jack, Miko, and Oliver are all right?" Raf asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. I blinked, not realizing I had offlined my optics.

"Jack said they are fine, or at least were." I assured him. "I am more worried about Seven than the humans; as long as they keep a low profile they should easily avoid any prying optics."

I silently watched the energon line turn blue as it filled with the fuel, flowing into my clone's arm. Ratchet picked up a spindly tool and began to attend to his most serious wounds.

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Knock Out chortled in disbelief, "Starscream is about six feet tall," he held his servos close together, "and doesn't have his T-Cog or wings? I-it's preposterous! Absurd! How can you expect me to believe that?" He doubled over in laughter.

In answer, Miko flipped out her phone, showing him the picture of Seven's flustered faceplates.

"What is this?" he asked. "I-I don't understand."

Miko looked at her phone's screen, "Whoopsie." It was a picture of a scene from a monster truck rally, with a truck mid-explosion. "Here we go." She showed him the right photo. "That's Sev in our base. When we caught him." She added when the red mech raised an eyebrow and stifled a laugh.

"Long story." Jack rubbed the back of his neck.

"The point is," I steered the conversation back on course, "We need Megatron's CNA. Preferably something I could easily carry. You do have a spare part or something, right?"

"Yes, I have to imagine I have something lying around in a jar somewhere." He mused. "It might take some digging, but I could find it." He walked inside the med bay and we followed, not wanting to be trapped in the hall waiting for drones to stumble upon us. Literally. "Why didn't Seven come instead? Too busy?"

"He did. Not inside, but he flew us here. And last I checked, he was bleeding out on the top of this ship." I replied bluntly. "Jack said Ratchet and Optimus got him to their base… I bet they're fixing him up now."

That took him off guard. "A-and Starscream?"

"He's okay, last I checked." Jack answered.

The medic nodded, "Then I'll help you."

"That was easy." Miko grinned.

"And NOT because you three humans came begging at my flawless pedes." We rolled our eyes. "Life on _Lord_ Megatron's big bad warship has been getting rather dull without Breakdown's banter or Starscream's whining." He said while rummaging through a few cluttered drawers.

Miko snickered.

"Oh, you have no idea," the red medic moaned, "Primus, every time he limps in here–" He slammed a drawer shut and wrenched another full of glass cylinders open, "–I feel like I have to get anestesias ready." He groused, sifting through the cylinders. "Not for him, mind you." We all let out sharp hoots of laughter at that. He slammed a few down on the tabletop to get them out of the way, muttering their labels. "A sample of various carboxylic hydrocarbons, nope… synthetic energon variants, wrong… uranium dioxide, ugh… what is all this slag doing in here?" The third glass cylinder he slammed down was filled over halfway with a shiny black powder.

"Hold up," Miko said, "you're keeping radioactive stuff in a DRAWER?!" I slowly inched away from the jar of black powder.

"A safe drawer." He pointed to the small lock on the front of it, as if that did anything at all.

"Oh, of course, my bad." she replied with a level of sarcasm that could rival Starscream's.

"I think I've got something." The red mech announced a second later, carefully extracting another jar full of what looked like silver scraps of metal.

"Yegh, are those Megatron's toenail clippings?" Miko made a face.

"These are shards from Megatron's chest plate after Starscream grabbed from ground zero after the space bridge big bang." The medic explained, smirking as he held them up to the light and gently shook the jar.

"I remember, Megatron had a huge hole blown out of his chest plate." Jack nodded.

Knock Out hummed, "I never really got around to properly disposing of these… good thing I didn't though, didn't I?"

"Yeah," I chuckled, "no kidding."

"We'd have to talk with Megs himself!" Miko gasped.

"Which is why we're here instead." Jack reminded her.

Knock Out slid one of the smaller slivers across the table towards us. "Take it and book it. If Megatron finds out that I helped you–"

"We get it." I nodded, scooping it up.

"No strings attached?" Jack asked suspiciously.

"What would I do?" He asked innocently. "I have no use for those scraps anyhow, and if Megatron never hears of this little encounter, it never happened." To illustrate his point, he tossed the jar over his shoulder where it landed with a clunk in what I guessed was a high-tech alien trash bin.

"Knock Out?" I asked nervously.

"Mhm?"

"When Starscream's full-sized again, do you think you could replace his wings?"

"And his cog-thingy, if we get it back?" Miko added hopefully.

"I'll send a comm tomorrow, that should give you all plenty of time to restore him." The medic promised. "But I'm not sure what I can do if I don't have an extra set of wings…"

"Then make some." Jack suggested.

The three of us walked out of the med bay a minute later and I put the helmet of my costume back on. I was elated, finally, something was going right! Without further ado, we sprinted down the corridor towards the nearest comm unit, a new spring in my step.

* * *

"I had to heavily sedate him," Ratchet announced, looking worn. "but he is stable, for the moment. That much damage is far from being something one can simply walk off. He's lucky." He injected a syringe of fluids into the Seeker's elbow as he spoke.

Optimus placed a large servo on the medic's shoulder, "You did admirably, old friend."

"Now all we have to do is wait until he wakes up…" I trailed off.

"Hey, Starscream?" Raf asked again.

"What is it this time?" I turned around, facing him.

"D-do you want to play a video game? It might take you mind off some of this."

"No… but I appreciate the gesture." I sighed, looking back at Seven. He seemed more peaceful in stasis, despite his mangled frame. I wondered for a moment if this was exactly what I looked like after receiving a severe round Megatron's "discipline." I shook off the disturbing thought.

"Hey, you okay?" Raf asked me, pulling me from my thoughts. The other Autobots looked like they had the same question.

"Wh–I was just thinking, that's all. But no, I am not 'okay.'" I hissed, "If I were 'okay,' I would not be standing here, speaking with you." The kid didn't seem to know how to respond to that.


	26. 25 - Metal IV

XXV - Metal IV

"Do you think this is a game?" Megatron asked from the other side of the dimly lit room. Or was it a room? It could just as easily be a void, with no distinguishable end to the perpetual greyness. He turned around, crimson optics boring holes through me.

"Do you think I'm going to terminate you?" His tone was as emotionless yet as sharp as a keen blade being scraped over rock. It sent cold shivers down my spinal struts. I shuddered involuntarily, every instinct telling me not to open my mouth.

"You are expendable." He stated simply, each word hitting me with the force of a blow. "Seven, if you were Starscream, that would be a different matter.

I locked optics with him as he strode closer, my quavering servos balling into fists.

"If you kill me–" I choked, "If you kill me now, you lose Starscream as well."

His faceplates were inches away from mine now. "And why is that?" I didn't get a chance to answer. The world, this void seemed to fold in on itself and I fell through the floor. It resembled what I assumed a ground bridge flipped inside out would look like, if nothing else. This next dimension was brighter, but just as plain. I slowly turned around, my terrified intakes coming out as pants.

"W-w-where am I… am I dead?" I whimpered, cowering from an unseen threat.

"If you're dead, then what am I?" A voice startlingly similar to my own simpered knowingly. Starscream stood a few paces in front of me, a place I was certain wasn't occupied a moment ago. Except he now was identical to me: the same height and whole from the tips of his wings to the ends of his heel struts. "Entertainment?" I suggested nervously.

He laughed, "Please. That job belongs to Knock Out."

"Where are we?"

"Depends. Where do you want to be?"

"We both know I don't enjoy mind games."

The Earth suddenly appeared far beneath our pedes, a pristine blue and green orb surrounded by the starry black void of space. And of course, the planet's moon.

"This planet was a barren rock when Cybertron was in its prime." He said bitterly, mouth twisting into an almost rueful frown. "And now, the tables have turned. This marble is thriving while Cybertron is little more than a graveyard."

"Your point?" I was starting to get impatient.

He shook his helm lightly, "What are you going to do now? You know you've lost your use to me, so when you wake up, you better have a reason to remain functional." He gave me a sideways look, "That is what you want, isn't it?"

"Of course." I replied stiffly, unsure of what else to do. He smirked, flicking his wings. Space seemed to warp around their tips and they glowed red for the better part of a second. I realized I was gawking and hurriedly looked away. "What am I doing here?" I finally huffed.

"Well, we both know I'm a figment of your drugged processor, so you tell me."

I turned away from Starscream, muttering, "I hate when my subconscious makes slag up."

I looked at him again as he began to speak. "You want answers? Hm, my guess is strapped to a med berth, probably in the Autobots' base and clinging to life. What do I win?"

I transformed out a blaster and shot him. "What do you lose?" I taunted.

But the view of the blue-green planet vanished, replaced by a suffocating blackness once again.

"Oh, fantastic." I growled, transforming my blaster back into a servo and scuffed a pede. "Can I finally be left to my misery?"

"Not yet," a deeper, more powerful voice rumbled.

"Optimus Prime. Care to join in on the fun?" I snapped, spinning to face him.

"I am not here to inhibit you, Seven." He replied calmly.

"Finally, a straightforward answer! Now, how long did that take?"

"As long as is necessary." He replied vaguely.

I growled in frustration, poking a finger at his chest plate. "Look, I have only asked simple questions, have I not?"

"Have you not been given simple answers?" His calm, understanding demeanor was going to be the death of me.

"What am I doing here?"

"Patience, Seven. You are in good servos; Ratchet is a capable medic." That did it. I transformed out my blasters, glaring at those infuriatingly understanding blue optics.

I growled, "Getting shot and torn to pieces was the last thing I wanted to happen when I shuttled those humans up to that fragging warship."

"So are you going to shoot me?" He asked in a tone that hinted he already knew the answer. "You have already shot Starscream. Making others share in your suffering will not alleviate it."

"It might." I hissed, but transformed them away. "And we both know that wasn't him. Speaking of getting shot… I took every precaution, and still!"

Optimus smiled at me, "We both know you made the right choice."

I started badly, wings flattening. "W-what do you mean?"

"I do not believe I have to explain myself," the Prime kept smiling. I _did_ know what he was referring to, no matter how much I didn't want to admit it.

"Shut up, shut up!" I screeched, and lunged at him. But as if pulled by an invisible force, my right servo sank past my wrist into his chest plate. I blinked, and suddenly Cliffjumper knelt in Optimus' place.

My optics widened in horror and I staggered backwards, removing my newly-blue talons from his scarlet chest plate. I looked straight up into the infinite darkness—it couldn't have possibly gotten blacker than this—and screamed until my vocalizer was raw as wet lubricant slipped down my cheek plates. "When will this cycle of torture end? And by the Allspark, why is it so dark?" I shrieked hoarsely.

"Don't ask me." Cliffjumper said, his tone implying the opposite. "And you know, I heard this thing once from a wise mech: There's no such thing as darkness, only the absence of light."

"Oh? And what's that supposed to mean?" I spat shakily.

"It means exactly what I said."

"Are you going to give me legitimate answers?" I huffed, my voice still a bit shaky. "Because from what I know, I'm trapped here with no way out until, or if I wake up, and am being held captive by figments of my imagination."

"Do you think sticking those talons into my chest plate again will solve anything?"

"Who knows? I have a feeling that nothing is certain here." I growled. "Perhaps because I'm speaking with you."

He smirked, "Now you're getting it."

"What's there to g–"

"You snuffed my spark. Why should I tell you?" He retorted, tracing a finger around the hole in his chest plate where my servo had been a minute before.

"Actually," I corrected, "Starscream did."

He smirked slightly, still tracing the hole. "Everything comes full circle, Seven. You can't fight what's going to happen. Eventually, you'll have to come to terms with the world."

"Oh? Are you hinting that you know the future?"

"Someone does, but it isn't me."

"That clears things up." I drawled scathingly.

"Like a mirror."

* * *

"Almost there!" puffed Miko, feet slapping the floor of the warship in a staccato rhythm.

"Great." I puffed, skidding around a corner behind them. The sliver of Megatron's metal was tucked securely under my arm. A console came into sight not too far ahead, we reached it a few seconds later.

"Now what?" Jack asked.

I passed the sliver to Miko, looking to Jack. "Give me a boost."

He wove his fingers together, bending down. I carefully placed my left foot into his hand. He pushed me up with a heave. My fingers scrabbled at the smooth surface of the console before I gained purchase and finally pulled myself up.

I tapped a few buttons that held no meaning to me on the screen in front of me in the order Starscream instructed, hesitating for a second before punching the last one.

A comm came online. "Starscream? Hello?" Static followed my voice. "Screamer? You there?"

A harsh sigh answered a moment later, "I thought I told you not to call me that."

"Heh, sorry. It's a catchy nickname." I admitted. "By the way, we're ready for pickup."

"Ratchet?" He asked on the other side of the link. "No—the old bot's busy… ah, Arcee has it. I shall give them the coordinates."

"Sounds good. We're heading to the top of the ship, we'll be there in a few." I replied, closing the link.

"Last one to the bridge gets zapped by the ray!" Miko exclaimed, taking off again.

"There she goes." Jack said. "Need a hand?"

"Nah, I got this." I replied, sliding down the side and landing heavily on the floor. I fell on my face. Jack laughed. "Ha, ha. Stupid heels…" I grumbled, stumbling to my feet and kicked them off, leaving them in the hall as we ran towards Miko. We made it to the hangar without incident; the halls were unusually quiet. Too quiet. I snuck inside first, scoping things out, then exited again.

"There's a Vehicon at the control station, but otherwise it's clear. And the door leading outside is just wide open." I reported.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Miko hissed.

"Shh, not so fast!" Jack grabbed her arm as she was about to run off. "We still need to be quiet!"

She conceded with a sigh and a low wave, "Lead the way."

We filed inside, clinging to the shadows against the wall farthest from the drone. He faced the other way, busy at the console. We silently slipped outside and suddenly I was thrown against the side of the hangar as a large gust of air caught my costume's wings.

"Thanks." I said as Jack and Miko rushed over to help me up, I tore the wings off and then the costume altogether, letting the pieces lay where they fell. I was about to jump out from where we were currently concealed behind one of the smaller, spiked wings sticking straight up off the top of the ship when a voice stopped me.

"My liege, this is where he last was. He could not have survived the wounds he sustained." The voice of a drone announced from nearby.

"He was just here, where did he go!? How are you so incompetent that you are unable to monitor a single, unmoving mech!" Megatron snapped. My blood ran cold and I was suddenly a lot more grateful for that gust that had hidden us.

"Megs!" Miko gasped quietly. "What's he doing here?"

"This is his ship." Jack reminded her.

She slapped a hand to her forehead, "Duh! I mean why's he _out here_?"

Suddenly a ground bridge appeared, adorning the prow of the ship, considerably closer to us than the warlord. But he did not fail to notice it either.

"Soundwave! Did I ask for a ground bridge?" He growled into a comm, watching it.

"I–no, my Lord." The Vehicon replied hastily.

"I was not addressing you!" Megatron snapped. "Go, inspect it!" The drone nodded and started jogging towards the bridge.

"That's our ticket off this boat!" Miko exclaimed. We didn't need to be told twice, sprinting towards it as fast as our legs would go.

"Humans? Destroy them!" He commanded, waving an arm.

The drone transformed out his blasters, firing shots of red plasma at us. We frantically skirted around them, the heat blasting at our backs.

"Hurry!" Jack exclaimed. I made the mistake of glancing back. Megatron charged towards us, powering up his fusion cannon.

And suddenly Bulkhead leapt out of the bridge, firing a couple shots at the warlord which forced him to dodge. "Come on!" The green mech urged us, shooting at the drone. Jack made it through first, then Miko followed not shortly behind him. Bulkhead waved at me to hurry up, ducking to avoid what would've been a fatal swipe from Megatron's gladiatorial sword.

I leapt through the ground bridge, rolling when I hit the ground. When I stood, I found myself inside the Autobot base. Bulkhead came through a few seconds later behind me, unharmed.

"Glad to see you made back in one piece, Jack." Arcee smiled down at him.

Jack patted himself down as if making sure he had all his limbs. "Yeah, me too."

"Miko!" Bulkhead exclaimed. She tossed me the sliver of metal and promptly rushed over to him, hugging his pede.

She laughed, "Nothing tops you, Bulk! You're one crazy awesome wrecking ball!"

"Well, I don't know about that…" he smiled, clearly loving the attention.

"Scream?" I called out. The little mech waved from the platform, next to Will and Raf.

Will pointed to Optimus and Bumblebee, "Can you believe it? These guys ditched me at the _Harbinger_! I had to call for them to come back!"

Bumblebee whirled something, twirling the shrink ray around like a baton. Raf translated: "He says that they also grabbed the ray when they went back for Will." I showed them the sliver of Megatron's metal, holding it up so it gleamed in the light.

Starscream's optics widened and he grinned, almost bouncing in excitement.

But I frowned, lowering the sliver and pocketed it. "Wait, where's Seven?"

The atmosphere in the room suddenly took on a much more somber quality. Ratchet slowly stepped out from in of a med berth, I hadn't realized he was shielding it from my vision. The other bots stepped back as well. I hurried up the steps to the platform to get a better view, taking them two at a time.

What I saw nearly took my breath away. Seven laid on his back on the berth in his bot mode, looking dead to the world in the most literal definition. The wounds on his chest plate and legs had been bandaged heavily and weren't leaking energon anymore, but the hole through his wing looked the same. There was a tube down his throat and he had several cords hooked up to him, of them I recognized a spark monitor and another as an energon drip. I followed the spark monitor's cable to a screen, relieved to see that it was spiking at regular intervals.

"Victory always comes with a price." Optimus said grimly.

"When is he going to wake up?" I wondered quietly, looking to Ratchet.

"I just pulled him out of stasis a few minutes before your arrival, but nothing's changed. It is too soon to tell, it could be in minutes, hours, or even a few days." he stated, looking over a few monitors, "But Oliver, I do not think it will be right now. He's still very weak and though I do not want to be the bearer of bad news, but he is not doing much better. However," he sighed, "It may just be too soon to tell. Rest assured I will inform you of any change in his condition."

I allowed myself a nod. Will looked subdued, a stark contrast to his usually energetic and optimistic personality. Starscream sighed and diverted his gaze.

"I'm not really in the mood to celebrate right now," I admitted, watching Seven's damaged chest plate slowly rising and falling. "Ratchet, could you please bridge me home for the night?"

"I'll come too." Will added. We both looked at Starscream. He looked at Seven, and then the Autobots and the humans.

"What? You would just let me walk out of here?" He asked suspiciously, raising his eyebrows.

"At present, there is little you could do to inflict harm." Optimus stated.

"As I'm sure you all are aware." He grumbled, like inflicting harm was one of his hobbies.

"Furthermore, we presently have other matters to discuss without you." The Prime added.

"We'll keep him on a leash." Will promised, earning a glare from the Seeker.

* * *

 **A/N: I've heard "clear as crystal" and "clear as glass." But never "clear as a mirror," so you all can think on that one.**


	27. 26 - Fun Size

XXVI - Fun Size

"Nothing like having pancakes for dinner!" Oliver said happily around a mouthful of the very stuff.

"Dude, your mom's baking is like magic." Will agreed, cramming a forkful into his mouth.

"I'm glad you two like them." Oliver's mother smiled, taking a dainty bite off her own plate.

"I regret not grabbing an energon cube." I grumbled. "Or at least being 'a bit' taller."

"Um, energon?" She asked, glancing at me.

"Come on, Mom." Oliver groaned, rolling his eyes good naturedly.

"The fuel and lifeblood of all Cybertronians," I explained, tracing a line on the wooden table.

"It's a rock. They eat rocks." Will clarified ever so scientifically.

I waved his comment off, "It's a crystal, there's a difference."

"Crystals are prettier rocks," Oliver whispered behind his hand to his mother, who stifled a laugh.

I scratched a talon against the face of the table in mild irritation. "Yes–"

Oliver saw what I was doing and grabbed my servo, "Don't! That is mahogany!"

"What?" I blinked, stopping out of instinct. "Don't touch me!"

"Uh, sorry. But you're scratching our table, except it's not really mahogany…"

I frowned at him, "Then why say it?"

" _Hunger Games_ reference," he smirked. Will gave him a high-five.

I glared at them and Oliver's mother changed the subject. "Are you two–three all right? You've been a lot quieter than usual; I expected you all to be bursting with epic stories to tell from your encounters with the robots–" I gave her a look. "Excuse me, Cybertronians." she corrected.

"Yeah, we're fine." Will answered, dropping his fork on his plate with a clatter that couldn't have contradicted his words better.

"Then what?"

"Well, we still have the shrink ray," Oliver said, dabbing a piece of pancake in a pool of syrup, "and we got a shard of Megatron's metal, because we need his DNA to operate it."

"CNA." I corrected.

"Right."

"That's great!" She exclaimed. "But that isn't everything, is it?"

"Oliver," I looked at him seriously, "your mother should consider becoming an interrogator."

She smiled, pushing chocolate-colored curls of hair out of her eyes, "And I will take that as a compliment. But don't try to avoid my question." The human boys looked down. My glossa suddenly didn't seem to work. What would I say, what _could_ I say? After a near minute of deliberating, I finally found my voice.

"You met Seven. My clone." I stated plainly.

"The tall one?" She confirmed, unsure of there this was going.

I coughed, annoyed. "Yes, the 'tall' one."

"Come on, what's wrong?"

"He–" I tried to say, "well," Will looked at me sadly, while Oliver stirred little circles with the tines of his fork in the syrup.

"He flew us up to Megatron's warship, the _Nemesis_." Oliver began.

"What! How come I didn't hear of this?!" She exclaimed. "You could have died!"

"We've been busy lately." Will admitted sheepishly.

"You should be worrying about grades and dates, not playing Indiana Jones with aliens!" she reprimanded.

"Mom, can I finish?" Oliver quietly requested, looking peeved.

"Fine." She agreed begrudgingly.

"May I?" He asked, looking to me.

"Might as well. You have a head start." I said.

"All right," he said, rubbing his hands together, "So, we landed on top of the Decepticons' ship and everything seemed to be going smoothly. But Megatron found us and, well… we're fine but Sev's hurt pretty bad. But Ratch and Optimus got him back to their base, along with the other 'Bots."

"Yeah, we saw him before we bridged here." Will added. "He seemed to be doing a lot better, still unconscious and everything though. I bet the doc's stitching him up as we speak." I noticed that he made the situation less bleak, Seven hadn't seemed to be doing better in the slightest, besides the fact he wasn't leaking energon anymore. Ratchet had even said so himself.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Oliver's mom trailed off, obviously unsure of what to say.

"Don't be." I replied firmly. "He knew the risks, and has paid the price. We all have." I admitted.

"How long until he wakes up?" She asked tentatively.

"Ratch said it could be minutes, or even days. We aren't sure." Her son replied.

"You know, he saved us." Will said. "I just realized–he distracted Megatron long enough so we could escape! He even said 'I saved the humans!' I was there—I heard him!"

I had to admit I hadn't thought about it that way.

"I think you're right!" Oliver exclaimed. "He could've just flown off the side of the ship, but instead went its entire length–and not even at his top speed! And when Megatron started pounding him into scrap metal, he stayed in his jet mode when he could've easily escaped!"

"True…" I said absentmindedly, my processor racing. _My own clone sticking his spark out for a pair of humans? Why!?_ I was flabbergasted. Oliver and Will stood abruptly, as if it had been choreographed.

"I can't stand just sitting here… let's go to sleep and in the morning we can roll on over to the 'Bots base and size you up, Screamer." Will said and Oliver nodded with him.

"I told you not to call me that!" I snapped.

"Sev saved us…" Oliver trailed off like he didn't quite believe it. I didn't either, following the humans upstairs in a daze.

* * *

Thin rays of dim light filtered through the blinds over the window in my room, casting slanting lines of shadow over the floor. I blinked, pushing off my covers and yawning, hoping I hadn't overslept. My clock read 8:19. I rubbed my eyes, swearing I had heard a noise that woke me up.

"Oliver, what time is it?" Will whispered from underneath his sleeping bag on my floor.

"Shh, eight-twenty." I answered and pulled on a hoodie and the pair of jeans with the sliver of metal in them.

Will groaned, burying his head deeper into the sleeping bag. "Wake me at ten. School's out again, remember? Something about–" He yawned, "conferences or… whatever." he huffed.

I rolled my eyes and looked away from my friend. My gaze fell onto Starscream's sprawled form in a mess of blankets, his chest plate rising and falling gently in a regular rhythm, mouth open slightly. It felt ridiculous that this was _Starscream_ , allegedly a dangerous X-Decepticon, tangled in blankets on the floor of my room.

"Scream?" I whispered tentatively.

The mech shifted and a faint red glow appeared as he opened his optics. He blinked and it grew brighter, then buried his helm under one of the blankets. "Go away." he grumbled tiredly, his voice muffled.

Will reached over and yanked the blankets off of him. "If I can't sleep in, you don't get to either."

He sat up, completely disregarding the corner of a blanket that hung off the tip of one of his knee spikes, rubbing his optics with the back of a servo. "Wh–" he cut himself off, blinking blearily. I chortled quietly, he was so out-of-place here in my room. The Seeker looked a lot less menacing when he was tired. The mech yawned, completing the look.

A random question popped up in my head, "Have you ever fired a missile in your sleep–recharge, whatever?"

He stared at me like he didn't comprehend the question.

"Wait, shh!" Will hissed, waving a hand to silence us. Dull thuds were slowly increasing in volume outside my wall, like something big was drawing close. I cautiously strode over to my window, peering out and was startled to find a pair of blue optics staring back. Starscream and Will cautiously inched forward behind me and I pulled the window open, trying to make the least amount of noise possible so Melody and my mom stayed asleep.

"I hope you don't mind me making an impromptu house call," Arcee said, "But we have a situation back at base." She pointed at the ground bridge behind her.

"Subtle," the jet remarked dryly.

* * *

I squinted as the void abruptly vanished, replaced by a blinding white light in front of me. I instinctively raised my servos to shield my optics from the brilliance. I saw through my fingers that I now stood in a grey area, with the familiar limitless blackness behind me.

I turned to face the blackness. "What is this supposed to be? A cliché?" I kept looking between the two, unable to make a decision. "Do I have to pick a side?" A small breeze pulled at my wings. "Hm, I'll take that as a yes."

Voices started jabbering, but it was impossible to discern who they belonged to–they were too discordant, overlapping each other.

I spun around, looking for the source. "Show yourselves!" I snapped. "Primus, I've had enough!" I shouted at the invisible voices. They ignored me. I spun around to the darkness and stomped forwards, but each step grew increasingly more difficult until I could have been struggling through tar. I finally stopped, panting. And slowly, I started to slip backward, even though I wasn't moving.

"What! What is happening?!" I groped at the air, struggling to step forwards but my legs refused to obey the simple command. I glanced backwards, it was like trying to run from a black hole. "NO!" I shrieked, borderline hysterical. "I am NOT going to die!" I didn't have much of a choice. The blackness front of me faded to nothing as I was swallowed by the blinding light, screaming until my voice broke and turned staticky.

* * *

I ran in behind Oliver through the ground bridge, Will and Arcee on his heels. The scene in the Autobot base was chaos. Ratchet was shouting, ordering Bumblebee off to grab something. Bulkhead tripped over a wire and nearly dropped a box he carried, while the three children talked nervously and excitedly amongst themselves. Only Optimus seemed more or less calm, if only by default.

"What is going on here?" I shouted over the noise, fearing there had been an attack.

"Bumblebee, come back here!" Ratchet ordered as a clash of metal rang out. The yellow scout spun on his heel and darted back over to the medic.

"What is happening?" I screeched, hating being ignored.

"It's Seven!" Jack replied. Oliver rushed up the platform and stood beside him. Will joined us, tripping on the last step, but Jack steadied him.

My clone's features were contorted. Ratchet and Bumblebee had his arms pinned down and the medic had a paint scratch across his front that could've only been from my clone's talons. His fists were clenched, legs either kicking or spasming, I wasn't sure―wings rigid. I noticed with a pang of worry of how weakly he was struggling. The tube that had formerly been down his throat was gone, which I took as a good sign.

"This is my fault," Oliver moaned, "if I hadn't had the stupid idea to fly up there…"

"It's not your fault." Raf said in a lame attempt to placate him, "Who knows? Sev could have gone in without any of you and died, and we never would've known what happened!"

"He still could die." Oliver pointed out quietly.

"Thank you, Mr. Optimism." Will said sarcastically.

Ratchet unplugged the energon drip from Seven's arm. The humans held their breath, but nothing changed. "I needed to remove it to perform more accurate scans of what's going on." He explained, reaching for a syringe. Suddenly a harsh beeping sounded from a monitor next to the medic, coupled with a flashing light that followed the same rhythm.

"Hey, Ratchet?" Raf pointed to the new light on one of the screens, "What's that?"

The medic glanced over to it, "His audials are functioning? Or, at least they were…"

"Does that mean Sev's going to wake up?" Will asked excitedly.

Ratchet furrowed his brow, "I'm not sure…" Seven's optics suddenly flew open and he gasped for air—an odd reflex, because it was something he didn't actually need—as those little crimson orbs slid over the humans.

"Safe–" he started to say hoarsely, but his optics offlined as Ratchet stabbed a syringe into his elbow joint. His chassis slackened against the berth again, servos gently unclenching. The spark monitor gradually displayed larger intervals between the spikes. Bumblebee let go of the jet's arms, backing away. One of the humans let out a little sigh of relief, the room was that quiet.

"That's it. I am so sick and tired of sitting on my aft doing nothing." I spat. All eyes and optics turned to me, save for Ratchet. "Bumblebee, go fetch the shrink ray." The yellow mech looked to Optimus, who nodded, then he trotted off.

"You do realize that we'll cuff you again once you're full sized?" Arcee clarified, crossing her arms.

I sighed, "As long as you remove them before I leave, then that is a price I am willing to pay for the moment."

"Come on," Oliver reasoned, "he hasn't done anything to hurt you guys!"

"Other than the bombs." Will whispered.

"Um, yeah, other than that." Oliver agreed reluctantly.

"He terminated Cliffjumper. I'm not going to let him run around here like he's taking the place of my partner." Arcee growled, "We're bending the rules as it is by helping you," hissing at me, "but don't think for a second that this is over." she pointed a finger accusingly at my faceplates.

"I–what's past is past! Besides, you all are aiding Seven and I, and in turn, we, you!" I whimpered.

"Because some bots try to be better than you." She replied venomously. That stung. I noticed the room was silent now, excluding my clone's ragged intakes. "Everyone in this room knows that you only fight to save yourself, regardless of whatever stands in the way."

"Arcee, now is not the time." The Prime cautioned.

"Like taking out Cliff to earn Megs' approval." Miko added bitterly, glaring at me.

"You stay out of this." I snarled.

"Or what?" She challenged. "You're not so big and strong anymore!"

"Oh, but I soon will be." I hissed.

"Arcee, Miko, Starscream," Optimus chided, "further fighting will not solve anything. Let it go."

I huffed testily, grumbling unintelligibly under my vocalizer.

Bumblebee broke the tense silence a couple minutes later, striding back into the room, shrink ray in his servo.

[Let's give it a whirl!] The scout beeped.

"Ah, ah, not so fast." Ratchet cautioned, stepping towards the yellow mech and away from Seven. He plucked the ray out of Bumblebee's grasp. "I need to learn the proper way of operating this device before we can even hope of using it."

"Control freak." Miko whispered.

"No kidding." Will agreed quietly.

"Optimus, should we carry this out?" Ratchet asked, choosing to ignore them. "I mean, this is _Starscream_ , for Primus' sake!"

"You may proceed," the Prime sanctioned. Oliver fished the sliver of Megatron's metal out of his pocket, tossing it to Ratchet. The medic caught it, gently setting the ray and the sliver down next to it on a table by my clone.

He ran a scanner over the ray, "It's simple enough. This button here activates it," he pointed to it near the bottom of the device, "and now, it is set to send out a negative current, which must shrink whatever or whoever gets trapped in its beam. All we have to do is change that to a positive one, and it should cancel out the negative effect, restoring you to your original size."

"Can you make me huge?" Miko asked excitedly, pigtails bobbing.

"Theoretically, yes. Will we? No." Ratchet answered, earning a groan on her part.

"Maybe when we are finished with current matters." Optimus said. "I see no harm in allowing her to use it for a short time, in the confines of this base."

"Woo-hoo!" She cheered, pumping a fist.

"So, Ratch, how do you flip the current on this thing? Is there a switch or something?" Bulkhead's fingertips ghosted the edge of the ray.

"Don't touch!" The medic yelped, jerking it away from the green mech.

Ratchet popped open its plating and rearranged a few wires, then closed it again. He then picked up the silver sliver and moved to press it against the ray. Will began to count down under his breath, "Three… two… one…" There wasn't a perceptible change in either of them when they connected.

"Well, that was anticlimactic." Miko pointed out dryly.

"Don't speak too soon." Jack cut in.

"Starscream, I recommend vacating the platform." Optimus suggested. I nodded, standing "tall" as I descended the steps, torn between anxiety and excitement.

A red ball of energy grew between the three prongs on the tip of the ray, pointing down at my chassis. I looked up at all the Autobots towering like behemoths over me, and down the length of the ray.

"Do it." I said, already feeling my confidence slipping as I remembered how disorienting and unpleasant the first time was. The fact that Arcee was twirling a pair of cuffs in the corner of the room wasn't helping.

A swirling ray of crimson plasma crashed into me, coupled with a horrifyingly familiar sensation. My vision blurred again and I staggered, feeling more than seeing the ray switch off. I quickly resolved not to pass out like the first time, Ratchet had his servos full enough with Seven. The world spun and churned beneath my pedes, though not as much as the first time, it was enough to cause me to lose my balance.

Optimus helped me back up, but I pushed him away when I had regained my footing. When I stood up straight, I was now slightly taller than Ratchet. They all stared for a few moments, awestruck.

"Yes, you may bow." I chuckled, grinning despite their shocked expressions and the nausea that followed the blast. I tried my hardest not to let it show.

"Whoa, sweet!" Miko shouted excitedly. Jack flashed me a thumbs-up.

"Wow." Oliver and Will breathed in unison, grinning.

"You look a lot shorter without wings." Raf remarked.

I frowned, "Don't remind me."

"That's what's next on our to-do list." Will mimed checking something off an invisible piece of paper.

"After Sev here wakes up, you mean." Miko pointed out.

"Yeah." Oliver agreed. "So, now do I get to ride on your shoulder?"

I rolled my optics, trying to suppress a smirk, "In your dreams." But then I groaned as Arcee closed the cuffs over my wrists. "Augh! Where is the trust?"

"Keep dreaming." She replied. I whined in protest, walking over to my clone as I noticed the spark monitor slowly speeding up.

"Seven," I crooned, getting right up in his faceplates, "you look like slag."

It was as if I had just needed to say it. The mech whimpered, obviously in pain, and slowly opened his optics. Nearly everyone in the room let out a gasp as I stepped back, grinning like a fool.

Seven blinked as if noticing me for the first time, his features tight with pain. "S-Starscream? You're…"

"Trapped in these ridiculous manacles, I know." I held up my wrists for him to see. He let out a strained laugh, and after a moment's hesitation, I joined in.

"So, I–we succeeded?"

"Yep. We couldn't have done it without the 'Bots though." Will added from the platform and my clone's tired optics fell onto him. "Ratch here thought you had maybe an hour to live when you came through the bridge."

"The stiffness in my joints tells me it's been longer than that." He replied, looking back at the ceiling.

"A little over a day." Arcee replied.

He groaned, shuttering his optics and let his helm fall back against the slab. I tentatively poked his shoulder.

"Yes, I'm awake." He murmured, looking back up at me. He tried to sit up, but Ratchet rushed over and pushed him back down.

"Yip, ip, ip, you are not going anywhere until I've had my say in things," the medic chided. Seven shuffled around on the berth a little, but winced and clenched his jaw. "You are going to stay there for quite some time, you do want to recover, don't you?"

Oliver cut in, "Your comm unit was working, wasn't it? How else would you have been able to contact us at the _Harbinger_?" he accused good-heartedly.

"I–well… yes, it was." he confessed.

"Then why didn't you use it?" Raf pressed.

"Because if it was not for me, nothing would have distracted _my liege_ long enough for you all to safely slip away." Seven's wings twitched beneath him in an almost self-satisfied way.

Bulkhead scoffed, "Screamer or his clone, noble? Ha! I'll believe it when I see it!"

"Nobody's perfect." I sneered.

"Sev's telling the truth." Oliver jumped in defensively. "We'd probably be dead if he hadn't distracted the drones and Megatron long enough for us to slip inside."

"At least someone gets it." My clone glared at the green mech.

"And how do we know he wasn't just trying to save his own tailpipe?" Arcee challenged, crossing her arms.

He coughed haughtily, "Because I have a thruster," I smirked; clearly, we shared the same sense of humor. But that smirk slowly turned into a frown as I was reminded of the loss of my T-Cog and wings.

Will seemed to read my expression, "Don't worry, Scream. Next stop, Doc Knock." I shook off the unpleasant thoughts and instead, looked down at Seven and hissed into his audials quietly enough that the Autobots wouldn't hear.

"You know, my dear clone, you have outlived your usefulness." I purred softly, keenly aware of the Autobots watching my every move. His optics widened. "In fact, I would put you out of your misery right here and now, were I not indebted. Alas, by flying the children up there and saving their lives, you bought enough time for them to enter unnoticed, as well as make a rapid escape, from what I heard. And if you had failed to do so, I would still have been doomed to remain in that… diminutive state."

"Your gratitude is appreciated, but have I truly 'outlived my usefulness'?" He asked in an innocent manner I was all too familiar with.

"I think we both know the answer to that question." I rolled my optics, straightening back up.

Seven shuttered his optics, humming. "It would seem we are cornered."

I picked irritably at the cuffs binding my wrists, looking wistfully at the ground bridge controls. "My servos are tied… in more ways than one."

"You guys are going to let us leave, right?" Oliver asked, looking to Optimus.

"For the moment, you will remain here." He replied vaguely.

"I can give a tour!" Miko volunteered excitedly, already tugging Oliver along by his sleeve. Will walked over to the bottom of the staircase to meet them, and the three of them jogged into the depths of the base. "Come on, Scream!"

I sighed, walking after them. "If any of you humans call me anything other than _Star_ scream, I swear upon the Allspark I will award that _lucky_ person a swift trip in a helicopter." But it was an empty threat, and I could uncomfortably feel all the Autobots' optics trained on me. I could discern some were glaring, others worried or nervous, but one just seemed sad. And though I was confident who it was, I didn't dare look back at him. Optimus' kind, all-too understanding stare was something that if I saw again, I swore I'd have an episode on the floor of their base.

Instead, I followed the trio of humans into the depths of the silo, wondering what I had gotten myself into this time.


	28. 27 - The Deep End

XXVII - The Deep End

I wasn't sure when I became aware of it, but I was waking up, slowly being coaxed out of a comforting oblivion where nothing mattered. I floated upwards, easing into consciousness as my systems came online one by one and my shady surroundings began to take shape. My world was one of soft edges and gradient tones, muted hues of faded colors and indistinct outlines on objects.

I could vaguely remember being in this state once or twice before—well, Starscream had, in my memories. It took a moment for me to connect the dots, but once I had, there was no mistaking it: the good doctor had me doped up on some serious painkillers. I looked down at my chassis with a detached sense of curiosity and felt much more grateful for them. I looked nearly ready for the scrap yard.

I winced as I unplugged the IV energon line, spark monitor, and a few other cables from various places on my armor without a second thought. Then I gingerly slid off the med berth, staggering and limping towards a hall branching out from the main chamber. The floor seemed to sway beneath me, spinning slowly on an axis. I fell and got back to my unsteady pedes twice, praying that the noise wouldn't attract attention. Hopefully the hallway would lead me to wherever Starscream was. I could tell it was still daytime, but I had no idea how long I'd been out. Again. I was surprised that no one, not even Ratchet was watching me; I hadn't even been cuffed to the berth! They must have thought whatever was being pumped into me would suffice, keeping me down. _Well, aren't they in for a surprise._

* * *

I started at a sound, pricking my wings as a shadowy, winged figure walked down the hall in front of my cell with an irregular gait. I thought for a moment that it might have been one of the Autobots carrying the humans, but quickly dismissed it. The children had gone home over an hour ago, something about school being reopened… or something.

"Bumblebee?" I asked suspiciously, "This better be good. I was napping, and rather enjoying it too." I growled, "What are you–" my optics widened in surprise as I realized just who exactly was coming. Seven limped closer and I nearly stuck my helm out my cell, awkwardly gripping the bars thanks to my cuffs, which the Autobots hadn't bothered removing. "Your optics… how are you standing?" I trailed off. He didn't look much better than from when he was standing in the middle of the base's main atrium, covered in his own energon.

"What?" he asked, brow furrowing.

"Uh–how many fingers am I holding up?" I asked, raising four of them.

He blinked almost uncomprehendingly, "Uh, five or six…"

"By the Allspark, Seven, do I have six fingers?" I exclaimed in exasperation, throwing up my servos.

"Righ'…"

"Never mind. Just get me out of here!" I pleaded, opting to ignore his optics for the moment.

"Do I haff a key—nope." He looked around sarcastically, as if expecting to find one.

"You are my clone! You're supposed to be resourceful!" I growled.

"I know," he slurred, "buh I thin' the only thing keepin' me up're some painkilluhs…" I frowned at that, noticing he did seem quite a bit off.

"Does it hurt?" I finally asked in a lame attempt to salvage the conversation.

He shook his helm, swaying slightly, "Nah, not 'til they wear off, I beh."

"Then we should get back to the _Harbinger_ swiftly, hm?" I suggested. "Here, break the lock. I pointed to a heavy deadbolt on the door. "I already tried, but with these infernal manacles–"

"Why shou' I hel' you? Yeh tried tuh termina' me!" he accusingly jabbed an unsteady finger at my faceplates. I tried to keep my optics from wandering to the gaping hole through his wing.

"Doing and saying are two different things." I pointed out.

Arcee stalked out of the shadows without warning and flicked a light switch on. "Starscream? I thought I heard something– _Seven_?! What happened to your optics!"

"Yeh too?" he groaned, and stepped away from the bars, wings dipping. I watched them silently.

"What are you doing?" She snapped.

"Wha' does it looh like?" He replied innocently. "Yeh should've pos'ed a guard…"

"Don't make me throw you in there too." She growled.

"And have him succumb to his injuries?" I gave her an incredulous look. "After all the hard work your dear doctor did to piece him back together?"

"Don't tempt me. Besides," she addressed my clone now, "you seem to be doing fine without Ratchet's help." She retorted, jerking him down by one of his wings to get his optics level with hers.

"Ow! Hey!" He protested, trying to pull away to no avail.

"I thought you were drugged." I frowned.

"I watched Ratchet pump enough tranquilizers into you to knock Megatron on his aft for hours!" she wondered in agreement, a bit too accusingly.

"Dun' ask me," he huffed, "I'm nah a doc'er."

"Did you do anything?" Her helm swung around to look at me.

I backed away from the bars, pinned beneath her glare. "H-how could I have? Are you suggesting I could have just willed him over here? So don't look at me!"

She apparently deemed my reasoning to be satisfactory and activated the comm unit on the side of her helm. "Hey, Ratch? Get over here. Sev decided to take a stroll through our base—yes, I'm with him too. I'm staring at both of them." I assumed the "him" she was referring to was myself. She deactivated the comm and suddenly Seven kicked her legs out from under her, sending her sprawling. My optics widened.

She sprang to her pedes and transformed out her blasters, pointing them at my clone's helm. "Take one step and I'll shoot." the femme growled.

Seven transformed out his own and trained them on her chassis. "You do tha'," and he fired.

Arcee rolled out of the way—which was unnecessary because Seven's shot missed by meters—leaping to her pedes and went at him with her blades raised above her helm. He clumsily skidded to the side to dodge, slamming hard against the bars of my cell. I yelped, skittering backwards after being spattered with some energon, one of the wounds on his back had reopened.

I wiped some of it off my faceplates after regaining my wits, "Seven, have you blown a circuit?! What in the name of the Allspark are you doing!" He ignored me and struggled to his pedes away from my door, staggering towards the femme. I warily stepped forwards and rattled the bars of the cage. "Seven! Answer me! Have you lost your senses?" I then looked to Arcee, who was slowly closing in on him, blasters locked onto his faceplates. "Release me from this infernal prison and I will help you subdue him!"

"You… traitor." Seven growled, turning on me with murder in his green optics.

"N-no!" I squealed, backpedaling until I hit the wall. "I-I didn't mean it like that! I merely want you to r-recover from your injuries! You're not thinking straight!"

"Dun lie tuh me, yeh slagging–!" he shouted, raising his blasters. I tried to make myself a smaller target, all too aware that there was nowhere to run. The claustrophobia was poisoning. Suddenly Arcee tackled him to the floor, pinning him in a chokehold. I felt a bit better that I hadn't terminated her the day I went rogue. But I suddenly felt a pang of worry for my clone at the sight of a puddle of energon forming beneath him, tainted green.

Ratchet chose that precise moment to emerge from the shadows. " _What_ is going on here?!"

"R-R-R-Ratcheh…" Seven tripped painfully on the medic's name as the femme tightened her grip around his neck cables. "All righ', all righ'!" he screeched in hysteria. Ratchet pulled the blue femme off him and he coughed, trying to sit up only to collapse back down again, chest plate heaving.

My clone resisted as the medic helped him to his pedes, but Ratchet silenced him. "Stop wriggling! Seven, I am going to tie you to that berth if I have to! And Arcee, I expect Optimus will want to have a word with you."

"He found energon that quickly?" Arcee asked skeptically. The white mech nodded.

The Seeker snarled, "You'll haff tuh catch me firs'!" And with that, he wrenched out of Ratchet's grip and sped off into the shadows of the hall once more.

"You're just letting him go?!" The blue femme exclaimed, transforming out her blasters.

The medic held out a servo to stop her, "He won't get far with the condition he's in. But how he managed to make it here, hm… I'll have to check the dosage of what I gave him."

"So?! What are you waiting for? Him to come crawling back here? Terminate me in my cell while all of you look the other way?!" My voice rose an octave higher than was healthy for my vocalizer.

Arcee angrily spun on her heel and faced me, glowering. "Look, _Screamer_. Give me one reason why I should stop that."

"I–" I looked at Ratchet for support, but his optics were steely. "I-he could terminate you all when he was finished with me!"

"What's all this about terminating you?" She asked suspiciously. "He said you threatened to snuff him? Or was that another game?"

"Does this look like a game?!" I snapped.

"Then stop dancing around our questions." Ratchet replied roughly and stepped forward.

"Do what you wish with him." I answered cooly.

They exchanged a glance. "I shall retrieve him." The medic announced after a seemingly silent conversation. He hurried off after Seven.

"I'm glad that's over with," Arcee huffed, turning back to me.

"What?" I asked innocently. "Aren't you going to release me from this prison?"

Her optics narrowed and her voice became icy, "Be thankful Optimus is in charge. If it was up to me, you'd be pushing up lugnuts."

"Oh?"

"Don't you get it!?" She snarled, stalking towards the bars. Not for the first time, I was relieved to be on the other side of them. "This isn't a game!"

"So I've been told." I replied dryly. She looked ready to retort, but settled for firmly shaking her helm in disgust, fuming as she stalked away. "Backing down without a fight, now are we?" I asked, then bit my lip, optics widening. Arcee stopped suddenly and straightened up, then slowly, meticulously walked back towards me, as if doing calculus on how to take each step. I tried to look as remorseful as I could, knowing I had went too far. She fiddled silently with the door of my cell for a moment, then I heard the lock disengage.

"Wh-what are you doing?" She didn't answer, throwing my door open. I slowly backed into the corner of my cell as she advanced. "Fine! That was a mistake! I've made many!" She transformed a blade out on her right arm and stopped just out of reach. "Just leave me be!" I shrieked.

"You left me no choice." Suddenly I was on the floor, one of her blades nearly cutting into my neck cables.

"Yes I did!" I protested, "You can walk out of here and pretend this never happened!"

"Cliff wasn't just an Autobot. He wasn't only my partner. He was my FRIEND!" Her blade felt like ice on my neck cables. I cried out in fear.

"W-w-would Optimus do this?" I whimpered.

She hesitated, "No. At least, not like this." I gasped and sat up as the pressure from her blade vanished. "He would've let you go down fighting, honorably, which is more than you deserve. Did you even look Cliff in the optics when you terminated him?" she spat.

I stood, tugging against my cuffs. "I don't plan to 'go down' at all."

"Neither do I." And she transformed out her blades again.

"This is hardly fair!" I screeched, hysterically tugging on my cuffs. The femme lunged at me. I sidestepped and bolted out the door of the cell and into the hall, unsure of where to turn. Arcee suddenly rushed at me and I sprinted to the right, away from where Seven and Ratchet ran off to. I heard her transform into her vehicle mode and begin pursuit. I couldn't hope to outrun her. The sound of her engine grew from a growl into a roar in my audials, and then one of her tires slammed into me from behind. I went sprawling, but quickly jumped to my pedes. She landed a ways in front of me, already spinning around for another attack.

I suddenly noticed that there were doors studding the walls in this section of the hall. I danced out of her way and rammed right through one, and was met with the energon harvester. I grinned, carefully picking it up off its pedestal and held it out as Arcee made to charge at me again.

"Ah, ah, ah, I'm not sure that's wise." I purred.

She halted and transformed, opening a comm link. "Optimus! Starscream has the energon harvester!"

"Allow me to reunite you with your partners!" I blustered, raising the device as it powered up.

* * *

 _Earlier…_

"You'll haff tuh catch me firs'!" I snarled at Ratchet, then sprinted off down a hall at random. After a minute or so of this, my energy started to flag. My legs felt like they were resisting the command "run" as much as they could. I half ran, half stumbled away from the fight _I_ had caused, unable to string coherent thoughts together.

Suddenly white headlights lit up my back. "Wha–" I tripped over my own pedes, crashing to the floor. A second later Ratchet stood over me.

"Don't even think of it. I'll file those talons down if I have to." he warned.

I lunged at him, heedless of the threat. Just as the tips of my fingers were about to sink into his chest plate, someone pulled me back with tremendous force. I scrabbled manically at the large set of servos that dragged me back from the medic, ignoring the fiery pain shooting through my chest plate and the new wetness I could feel there, beneath the layers of bandages.

* * *

Despite my incessant struggle for freedom, I found myself once again cuffed to the very same med berth a few minutes later. Optimus silently towered over me. I met his scrutinizing gaze with a glare, grinding my denta in frustration.

"Ratcheh, fraggin' lemme go or I-I'll stuff your pedes in your au'ials!" I shouted at the medic, fighting the cuffs around my wrists and ankles with everything I had.

"At least then I wouldn't be capable of hearing you! Stop straining yourself!" He pushed me flatter against the berth and pinned my chest plate there, "You will only make your injuries worse." It was then I noticed that several bandages were stained blue, especially those wrapped around my chest plate. It didn't stop trying to free myself from the infernal manacles, however. "Don't make me sedate you." He growled, already preparing a syringe.

Optimus spontaneously answered a ping on his comm. "Arcee—yes. I'm on my way."

"What was that about?" The medic wondered.

"Arcee wishes me to be of assistance in subduing Starscream." He rushed off.

I suddenly remembered, "Scream said somethin'… my op'ics?" I strained to see the medic in my peripherals.

"Yes…" he leaned over me, "they're green, but I don't know what could have caused it. I can check their pigment composition once your more pressing wounds have been attended to." The medic turned away.

"Why not," I tried to kick the bonds over my legs off unsuccessfully, "jus' get it over with? Too har' for you?"

"If you stop struggling, then I might be able to!" He replied in frustration, pinning my helm back against the berth. I almost tried to bite his servo but something sharp and tiny stabbed into the side of my neck cables. "You left me no choice," he gave me a look. But as he stared into my optics, his widened as if something had just clicked.

"What?!" I growled. He ignored me, picking up a different syringe and placing it under a scanner.

"There is synthetic energon in this," he finally breathed. "Along with local painkillers and medicines, _this_ is what I've been giving you." He dropped it in disgust, letting the syringe shatter against the floor. The greenish liquid spilled out all over the shards.

"So?" I hissed.

"I tested Synth-En on myself once, and it caused motor functions to become optimal–"

"Tha's good though." I remarked, wondering why he hadn't administered it to all the other 'Bots.

"Yes… but there were side effects because of the incomplete formula. Some of which I can tell you're presently experiencing, such as unbridled aggression. But it also is likely why you are conscious, because I had given you a high dosage of other medicines and painkillers alongside this."

I struggled to find words, my helm still felt foggy. "Buh… the Synth-En gave me a… kick star'?" My fury was quickly transforming into exhaustion. I knew he had injected me with a sedative, and I tried to fight it but wasn't entirely sure how.

"That's my guess." He agreed. "Another symptom is burning through your energon reserves faster."

"So, how did the Synth-En, uh, get in there?" I asked as the world dimmed.

He shook his helm ruefully, "I must have grabbed the wrong vial in all the commotion… rookie… mistake… just recharge… you need it."

* * *

Optimus charged out of the shadows behind me, blasters raised and ready to fire. "Starscream! Surrender the harvester!"

"Nowhere to run." Arcee added, pointing hers at my helm.

"As I am well aware." I hissed. And I activated the device, aiming the beam at Optimus. But Arcee sprang in the way at the last second, taking the hit. "Ha!" I cackled, "This shouldn't take long." But Optimus shoved her out of the way after he had regained his footing and ducked to dodge it. The beam from the harvester crashed into the wall. The femme was struggling to her pedes and he ignored her as I attempted for focus the beam on his chassis again. He saw what I was doing, however, and dodged the brunt of it. The blue rays only clipped his arm.

"Ugh, just hold still already!" I snarled, swinging the harvester around in a frustrated arc that failed to even nick their helms. I was so focused on the Prime to notice Arcee closing in until it was too late. I turned the beam on her but she sidestepped, delivering a swift punch to my side. I jumped back and she advanced on me again, feinting as if she'd try to sweep my legs out from under me. I didn't fall for it, and she made to uppercut my helm. I fell backwards, holding up my wrists like I was protecting my faceplates and her fist shattered my cuffs.

I grinned triumphantly, but then frowned when the harvester went flying out of my grasp. I steadied myself against the floor, but then fell flat to narrowly avoid a would-be brutal blow to my helm and the femme went flying over me, carried by her momentum.

Optimus charged me with his blasters, firing rapid successions of plasma. I dove towards the harvester and rolled when I hit the ground, then was up and running with it in clutched tightly in my servo.

"Do not let him escape!" He shouted to Arcee, who was already in her vehicular mode. Her engine roared in my audials and blue shots of plasma chased me a second later, fired by Optimus. One connected with a thicker portion of armor on my back and I staggered at the shock of the impact. I looked behind me, still running, and fired a missile. The Prime dodged it and kept advancing.

"Imbecile!" I snarled at myself, forcing my legs to churn faster as I watched behind me. And then I crashed into a wall. I groaned, picking myself up off the ground and realized what, no, _who_ I had just barreled into.

"Why the rush, Screamy?" Bulkhead accused, transforming out a wrecking ball. Optimus and Arcee transformed behind me, trapping me in the middle of the three of them.

"Heh, n-no rush–" I chuckled nervously.

"Hey, Bulk. Care to join the party?" Arcee planted a servo on her hip and cocked her helm at him.

"Don't mind if I do." He menacingly stepped towards me and I skittered away nervously, nearly bumping into Optimus.

"Seven started this!" I whimpered, "He's the one to blame!"

"He's your clone." Arcee reminded us.

I growled, "He was acting far too strangely–"

"–for either of you." Bulkhead interjected. "So what?"

I settled on giving him a scowl and continued, "whatever Ratchet had administered to him was clearly adversely affecting his processor!" I reasoned.

"So you used him as a distraction." Optimus accused.

"I-uh…"

"Yeah, yeah. Party's over, Scream. Crawl back to your cage." Bulkhead nudged my back roughly.

My servos clenched in anger, and before I knew what I was doing, I had slashed his chest plate. He returned the favor by shoving me with his left servo.

"You'll have to do better than that." I growled.

Blasters charged up behind me. "We will if necessary." Optimus rumbled.

I lunged at Arcee, being that I hated her the most and she was the smallest of the bunch. She quickly transformed out a blade and brought it down swiftly over my left leg. I vaguely noticed the other two Autobots watching in the corner of my peripherals, ready to intervene if needed. I snarled at her, not even feeling the blow. My claws raked over her shoulder and she grit her denta, stabbing her elbow at my cockpit.

I used the servo that wasn't partially embedded in her shoulder to take a few stabs at her chest plate as she created an opening when she elbowed me again. The tips of my talons grazed her paint, but then she shoved me off her with a burst of strength. But the femme didn't entirely let go, instead, using her momentum and flipped me over her helm.

I slammed me to the floor on my back, and she lost her grip on me. I felt the concrete fracture beneath me, momentarily stunned. By the time I had partially pushed myself up, I found myself staring straight down the barrel of a charged blaster into Optimus' optics once again. Mine widened as I also saw the femme and brute standing a couple paces away, blasters trained on my helm as well. I knew I had lost, and that if I kept fighting I would end up getting injured. I glanced at my leg. Well, more so.

I sighed heavily and glowered at him. "I yield." For a second the only sound was the light drip, drip, dripping of energon spilling out my leg. I still couldn't feel it.

That didn't stop him from punching me square in the faceplates. And again. It suddenly began to rain blows. I yelped and found myself trying to curl into a tight ball of wings and armor to protect my helm from the onslaught, whimpering in pain and begging for mercy. Then something even more surprising happened. Arcee and Bulkhead pulled Optimus off me and turned their blasters on him.

"Optimus! What do you think you're doing?!" Bulkhead shouted at him.

The Prime calmly turned on the green mech, optics icy. "What I should've done." He wrenched out of the other Autobots' hold and they watched, frozen in horror as he stalked towards me. I skittered backwards on all fours in a terrified frenzy as those icy, scarily calm optics bored into me.


	29. 28 - Nemesis Prime

**A/N: For those of you that are loyal _Prime_ fans (like myself), this chapter name should ring a bell. From this point onward (you'll know when), chapters will be named according to their corresponding episodes, in which they take place. Meaning this chapter happens at the time of the "Nemesis Prime" episode.**

* * *

XXVIII - Nemesis Prime

Arcee and Bulkhead recovered from their initial shock faster than I did, and rushed towards the furious Prime in synchronization. They each took one of his arms, trying to restrain him. Optimus swatted the blue femme away, sending her flying down the hall. She flipped around in midair and landed lightly on her pedes, already sprinting back over. The Prime shoved the green mech off him and advanced towards me again, a malicious smirk on his faceplates that couldn't have looked more out of place on him. It was disturbing.

I kept backing up, on my pedes now, until I almost tripped over something. I risked a glance down and saw the energon harvester gently rolling away. I snatched it up and pointed it at him, activating it.

"Prepare to join the Allspark, Prime!" I crowed, but he leapt over the beam and landed on top of me, transforming out his blasters. I landed heavily on the floor, the energon harvester flying out of my grasp a second time.

"On the contrary…" he charged up his blasters, pointing them at my helm.

And suddenly something clicked. "Silas." I growled.

"Indeed, Starscream. For a 'superior life form,' you catch on slowly," he noted contemptuously.

"Again?!" Arcee exclaimed, readying her blasters.

"I knew he wasn't our guy!" Bulkhead exclaimed, bashing his wrecking balls together, and charged the robot from behind.

Optimus/Silas reluctantly stepped off me and rushed at the two Autobots, swords flashing. I reflexively curled up a bit as the pressure from his pede on my chest plate vanished, panting. Ground based vehicles were typically heavier than those of us blessed with wings. I wiped more energon off my leg from the gash, very worried by how I didn't feel the pain yet. I hastily decided to call the robot something better than Optimus/Silas; it was too much of a glossa twister, not to mention viewing the thing as an "it" was unnerving, seeing how it was Optimus' double. It would have been like calling Seven an "it." I smirked, settling upon "Sue." _So sue me._

But then I scowled at myself and darted over towards where the harvester had fallen. I scooped it up and wheeled around, firing a beam at Sue's back. This time it connected. I grinned and fired a missile at him as Arcee delivered a swift punch to the side of his helm. The corridor was washed in a sudden, tremendous blaze of light from the explosion as my missile connected–though with whom, I wasn't sure yet. Either would've been fine by me.

When the smoke cleared a few seconds later, it was Arcee this time who had him pinned to the ground, her blasters trained on his helm.

"Any last words?" The femme growled.

"Go ahead," he smirked, "This robot chassis cannot feel pain, and it is hardly a blow to MECH if it is… what is the word you machines use? _Terminated_?" The same disturbingly wicked grin split his faceplates.

"Then why infiltrate our base?" Bulkhead snarled, pointing his blasters at the mech's helm as well. I joined in with the energon harvester and tried not to show as much fear as I felt. I suppressed it with anger, which wasn't terribly difficult.

"And why should MECH share its inside agendas with you?" He smirked.

Arcee leveled her blaster, "Because we're not giving you a choice."

Sue chuckled, "Is that so?" he transformed, driving off down the hall. Bulkhead followed in close pursuit, engine revving. Arcee fired a few shots but he swerved around them. I took this as my cue to dash off in the other direction while they were preoccupied. Arcee noticed a few seconds later and snarled in frustration, then transformed and began pursuit. Again. I shot a quick glance over my shoulder to see that Sue had begun to chase us as well, with Bulkhead on his tail.

"Scrap!" I hissed after swinging around a corner and ended up in the main atrium of the Autobot base. Bumblebee watched as the humans played video games up on the platform, taking turns because they only possessed two controllers. Ratchet was studiously looking over a few screens next to Seven. My clone laid on the med berth with several familiar lines connected to various places on his armor, once again out cold.

The yellow scout chirped in surprise when he noticed me. He assumed a defensive stance around the children, glaring at me. He beeped at Ratchet, who spun around and gasped.

"Starscream! Just what do you think you're–"

"I think you're about to have company!" I spat, running to the nearest hiding spot which just so happened to be behind Bumblebee.

"What happened to your leg?" The medic asked, his tone still brimming with open hostility.

"Nothing." I snapped, praying that I wasn't trembling, and watched the entrance I had emerged from with wide optics. The scout seemed thoroughly surprised that I hadn't used my unrestrained talons on him yet, but still watched me warily out of the corner of his optics. The humans were on edge as well. Miko had grabbed a broom and was holding it like a sword, I almost envied her courage. Or was it stupidity? Jack had made Raf stand behind him and looked ready to fight, like he could. Oliver and Will stood shoulder to shoulder by Miko, the former of which clutching a dustpan like a baseball bat, which he didn't look too pleased about. Presumably, it went with the broom. Ratchet transformed out his surgical blades and stepped away from the console. I reluctantly readied my remaining missile. Translation: I made sure I still had an arm.

Arcee—still in her alt mode—shot out of the hall first, followed shortly by Sue and then Bulkhead. Arcee transformed, leveling her blasters at him once again. I noticed with a surge of satisfaction that the wound I had inflicted on her shoulder was slowly leaking energon.

"Optimus, what is going on?" The medic made to walk towards his "leader," but my arm shot out and I pulled him back.

"That's not Optimus!" I hissed in his faceplates.

"Oh? Does he have a clone now too?" The medic rolled his optics, looking briefly at Seven's supine form.

"You could say that." The "clone" smirked.

"Silas." Ratchet echoed.

"Nemesis Prime!" Miko exclaimed, hefting her broom menacingly. I had to admit, that had a better ring to it than Sue.

"You caught on faster than dear Starscream." He opened fire. Oliver dropped his dustpan in surprise and dove behind a couch with the other humans as the platform shook from Sue's shots. I yelped and scurried backwards as small chunks of concrete showered us.

Sue ignored the intimidating circle of hostile Autobots tightly ringing him and stepped towards me. "Starscream, you won't even try to fight? I am aware that you have blasters, use them! Oh, wait, MECH took your T-Cog, didn't we?" He said innocently and the robot's faceplates sneered at me.

Something inside me snapped. I screeched in anger, realized that I _was_ in fact trembling, but far from in fear at this point. I vaguely saw Bumblebee wisely step out of my way in my peripherals as I lunged at the red and blue robot. Sue took a step back in surprise and I landed in front of him. I didn't need my blasters to inflict damage. I screeched again, ignoring sudden stabs of pain from my leg and the blaster shot on my back and dug my talons into his armor, relishing the sensation of the plating tearing and bending beneath my servos.

Something bright flashed in the corner of my vision, and the robot used my momentary distraction to swiftly gain the upper hand. He caught my right arm as it was coming down to deliver another blow and wrenched me closer, then used our momentum to spin around and hurl me into Bumblebee. I staggered up off the scout, who appeared uninjured, muttering an apology. He whirled back, assuring me it wasn't a problem. I glanced at the platform to see what had caused that sudden burst of light and saw Miko fiddling with her cell phone, taking pictures. I glared at her and resolved that at the first chance I got, I would grind that device into powder beneath my heel strut.

I rushed back at Sue again. My injured leg felt heavier and hotter than it should've, but I didn't allow that to deter me in the slightest. Ratchet had other ideas. His arm shot out―thankfully he had transformed that surgical blade away―and wrapped around my midsection. The medic jerked me back, letting Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead take on Sue. But the "Prime" too had other ideas. He shot the green mech in the side at very close range, but failed to dodge a kick from the mech. He used a surprised Arcee to pull himself up and then threw her at me, but I ducked and she crashed into a wall where she fell and laid still.

"I'm fine." She muttered as the scout rushed over to help her to her pedes.

Meanwhile, Bulkhead and Sue were trading punches like dance partners that were Pit-bent on terminating the other. But then Bulkhead missed Sue's helm badly with his wrecking ball and stumbled forward. Sue brought his servos down hard on top of the Wrecker's helm. He crumpled to the ground.

I tugged my left arm out from Ratchet's grasp and fired its missile. Everything seemed to slow down around the missile until it exploded against Sue's chassis in hues that highlighted his red paint job. It did a good deal of damage, but the robot was still functional, infuriatingly enough.

Silas cackled through Sue, "Starscream, I have to agree with you. You'll have to do better than that!"

I frantically looked around for help as he advanced on me again, to no avail. Ratchet wasn't a fighter and was trying to tend to Bulkhead, while the brute tried to fend him off. Arcee was hurt and Bumblebee had his servos full with her, plus I sincerely doubted the humans could be of much use.

Ratchet and Bulkhead wisely stepped back, permitting Sue to stalk towards me more easily. I backed up at the same pace he advanced until I hit the wall.

"Silas! Get away from Starscream!" Ratchet warned, surgical blades sliding out. He looked surprised at himself despite his threatening tone, as if his mouth had moved on its own accord.

Sue turned around to face the medic, still grinning malevolently as a blast of red plasma hit him square it the faceplates. Twice. The robot's beaten chassis collapsed to the floor, optics going dark. Every head and helm in the room pivoted in slow motion to look incredulously at Seven. _How had we failed to notice him?_ I wondered. He stood behind Ratchet, wings and helm erect, panting slightly with his blaster still raised. His scarlet optics smoldered with fury. At least they weren't green anymore, which I took as a good sign.

"Good riddance." He finally growled, meeting my optics and then the medic's. Then his legs gave out and a couple lines connected to his chassis disconnected, splashing fluids. Ratchet came to the rescue, helping him back up to his pedes and gently sat him down on the berth. "I'm fine, just tired." He groused, easing the concerned medic away from him.

I took a seat next to my clone, looking straight into his optics. "Thank you." I said quietly, the words feeling foreign on my glossa. Silence reigned after that for some time and I grew bored of staring at my clone like he was a wall: just as captivating and not staring back. Every once in awhile a sporadic tic would run through his wings, but other than that he just seemed exhausted, staring off into space. Meanwhile, Ratchet was helping Bulkhead, Arcee stood next to Bumblebee, the pair in silence. The humans even were too, which was a first. I had nearly forgotten they were here.

I must've jinxed it. "Screamy, your leg doesn't look so good." Will stated, a note of worry creeping into his tone. After glaring at the two-wheeler for a few seconds to make my thoughts clear, I got a good look at my injury for the first time. The human was right, it didn't look good. Energon was still trickling out of it, though not as much as before. It was deep, I could see past broken and frayed wires and energon veins all the way to some of my protoform. I looked away, energon churning in my tank.

"Ratchet?" I asked, clearing my vocalizer.

"Yes, yes." He said, already knowing what I needed. The orange and white mech looked at my leg as if scrutinizing every detail to make a medical report, which I realized he might just do.

"Well?" I finally asked impatiently after a minute or so of this.

"I don't know how you were able to stay on your pedes for that long."

"Shut up." My clone hissed. Our helms snapped over to him.

"Excuse me?" Ratchet growled.

"I've been told I shouldn't be able to walk twice over the past several days, if someone says it one more time, about _anyone_ , I will gut them." Seven said in an uncomfortably calm manner.

"Yip, ip, ip. Only I dictate who is gutting whom here." The medic announced, transforming out his blades to let them flash menacingly in the light before transforming them away again.

"You're welcome." Seven finally said, huffing. We exchanged a tacit glance that seemed to convey what words didn't.

"Indebted again," I groaned, "now I'll never be able to terminate you!" At that, he promptly shoved me off the berth. I stood up abruptly and Ratchet stepped back so my knee spikes wouldn't smack him in the faceplates. I brushed off my legs as if nothing had happened, trying to salvage some dignity. But then I stopped in mid-swipe as a thought struck me.

Bulkhead chuckled at my surprised expression as I tried to order my thoughts, "Something crawl up your turbine, Scream?"

"No…" I shook my helm, "but Sue transformed."

"Sue?" Will snorted, "Who the heck is Sue?"

"Sit down, energon loss is affecting your systems." Ratchet ordered, planting a firm servo on one of my large shoulder plates.

I shook it off but sat anyway, "Hardly! No, it's the nickname I gave Silas' robot…"

"I like it." Jack grinned, Oliver, Will, and Raf with him.

"Hey Mr. Heels, I thought _you're_ the sissy." Miko looked pointedly at me. "And Nemesis Prime sounds way cooler!" she added as an afterthought.

"Shut up." I snapped. "My point is–" she snickered and I shot her a glare, "yes yes, that's all very funny." I clicked one of my pedes against the concrete floor, "But Sue transformed, meaning he—it possessed a T-Cog."

Seven's optics widened in understanding, "And the only T-Cog MECH had–"

"Is mine." I finished, optics falling on the red and blue chassis.

Suddenly my comm pinged. I straightened up, automatically answering it. "This is Starscream."

Ratchet stopped examining my leg, "What?"

"Shut up!" I hissed.

"Dude! Spill it already!" Miko exclaimed, shouldering her broom.

"Knock Out?" I asked with a hint of hopefulness in my tone.

"Red racing machine, at your service." The other doctor answered sarcastically.

"No one informed me you would be calling." I frowned at the humans accusingly.

Miko punched Will, "Yeah, dude, you were supposed to tell him!"

"Hey!" He rubbed his arm, "That was your call."

"I recognize that human's voice… Miko?" Knock Out mused, then gasped dramatically. "You're in the Autobots' base again, aren't you?" He said with the voice one would use when scolding a sparkling.

"Yes I am." I agreed, sensing an outburst coming on from the other end. "However, not in their custody." I added.

"Yet." Ratchet reminded, and placed his servos on his hips.

"I heard that." The Decepticon medic pointed out. "You want me to roll down over there to even the odds?" I could almost see him smirking.

I groaned melodramatically, "No, please. I'm surrounded by enough ground vehicles as it is." I earned a few glares with that remark.

"I rather like the way I look in rims, hm, speaking of–"

"Cut to the chase, _doctor_."

"I was!" He protested. "Speaking of, the humans mentioned the 'minor' fact that you no longer possess your T-Cog, wings, and you-you're just about six feet tall!" He broke into a fit of laughter, making me want to angrily close the comm.

"One out of three, good doctor." I hissed through gritted denta.

That drew him up short, "What?"

I smirked smugly although he couldn't see it, "Yes, I have regained my stature and my T-Cog is within my grasp."

"Actually, it's a few feet in front of you, Screamer. Might want to get those optics checked." Miko suggested, tossing the broom aside.

"In a manner of speaking." I retorted.

"What?" The medic asked again.

"The humans are being insufferable."

"Mostly just Miko." Jack countered, crossing his arms.

"If you transmit your current coordinates, I can send a ground bridge and you'll be good as new! Shiner, even." I rolled my optics. Leave it to the good doctor to comment on everyone's finish.

"And have a horde of Decepticons come flooding into our base!? No way." Bulkhead retorted, repositioning himself against the wall.

"He has a point." Seven added, examining the tips of his talons.

Knock Out started to say something again, but I couldn't hear him as my clone, Arcee, and Bulkhead started bickering.

"Shut up!" I snapped. "I am trying to listen!" Surprisingly, they did.

Knock Out chuckled, "Go get some fresh air and call for a bridge." he suggested.

"Hey, couldn't Ratchet just patch you up?" Raf wondered, looking up to me.

"I do not possess the correct tools to perform such a procedure, and if I did, I wouldn't," said physician huffed.

"See?" I growled, "Unwilling and unable."

"If you Decepticons had not hoarded the best technology–"

"Oh please! You've made do without it." I hissed.

"The sooner both of you leave, the better." Arcee spat.

"I love the hospitality here, it's all warm and fuzzy." Will muttered sarcastically.

"I don't think she was referring to you, kid." Bulkhead added.

"I'm still here." Knock Out reminded me from across the link.

"Give me a few minutes. Ratchet needs to patch up my leg." I replied, annoyed.

"That old bot?" The red medic laughed, "He has no sense of st–" I cut the link and turned to Ratchet.

"Will you bridge us somewhere where we can safely contact the _Nemesis_?"

"Your clone will remain here." He clarified, "But yes, I will send you to a random location shortly after Optimus returns."

"The clone has a name," Seven frowned.

I grimaced, "Preferably not New York…" I made to go extract my T-Cog from Sue's side.

"Yip, ip ip, I will do that. Sit tight." Ratchet said. A few minutes later, Arcee and I had patches over our wounds then he went to work on Sue's offlined chassis, transforming out his surgical blades once again.

"Yo, Screamer?" Miko asked, a note of excitement in her tone.

"Yes?" I scowled.

"Do you think you could take us all for a flight when you get your wings back?" She grinned. Seven grinned as well, at my expense, and I hid my helm in my servos.

"No. Never."

"But Seven let–" Jack started to say.

"Seven is not me." I hissed. My clone laughed outright at that and a couple of the humans raised their eyebrows. "We are, er, _different_ bots." I protested. I didn't like the looks I was getting from any of them, "Ugh, we can converse about this later."

"Sev's nicer." Will interjected, pointing at him. My clone's wings flitted at the compliment but then he frowned.

"If anyone calls me 'Sev' again I will end them." he announced.

"Now you're stealing my lines." I grumbled.

"Yeah, nicer." Jack said dryly, earning a light punch from Will.

Oliver looked eager to change the subject. "What happened when Nemesis Prime jumped you guys?" he wondered.

"I was about to ask the same." The medic added, popping a plate open on the offlined robot's side.

"See, we thought it was our guy first," Bulkhead began, "but once we found him out he pulled his blasters on us." Miko was rapt, waiting for more.

"Then what happened to Arcee and Scream?" Oliver wondered.

"I returned the favor after she slashed my leg." I said cooly.

"You asked for it." The femme replied hotly.

"As did you." I snapped.

The green mech didn't let us finish our argument, "But you should've seen the move 'Cee pulled on him! She–uh…" He noticed my furious expression and wisely shut up. Miko put on an infuriatingly smug grin.

I hastily changed the subject, clearing my vocalizer loudly. "The last thing we saw of you two," I glanced at my clone and Ratchet, "you raced off with the medic on your heels after threatening to terminate me."

"Did I?" He asked innocently. "I don't recall, but if I did, it certainly couldn't have been without provocation." His tone implied the opposite.

My optics narrowed, "Ah, but it seems you were busy yourselves when you got back here."

"Nothing, really." He waved a servo offhandedly.

Ratchet huffed derisively from where he crouched over Sue's chassis, "If one can call a couple death threats 'nothing,' then yes."

"You said it yourself, there was Synth-En mixed in with what you administered to me!" Seven protested.

"Hold up," Jack threw his arms up to stop us, "did you say _Synth-En_?!"

Ratchet folded his arms across his chest plate, "Yes, he did."

I realized my mouth was open and closed it quickly. "Do you mean to tell me that you possess a stable form of synthetic energon?!"

"No. Its instability is precisely what makes it so volatile, it requires further testing and revisiting before we can even _think_ of safely using it as an alternate fuel source." he stated firmly. "I must have accidentally mixed it in with what I was giving him, but once I realized my mistake I sedated him and pumped all the heavy painkillers and the Synth-En out of his systems."

I looked to my clone, "Doesn't everything hurt if you aren't on anything?"

Seven frowned in thought, "I… no, actually."

The medic glanced at him, "I said I got rid of the _heavy_ ones. It seems they weren't as necessary as I thought. I have you on a couple light painkillers, which is why you should feel mostly normal." He turned back to digging into Sue's side.

Seven nodded, "My thanks, doctor."

I gave him a look, "That makes two of us. Seven," he met my optics, "do you remember that I asked you how many fingers I was holding up?" I raised four.

He blinked, "I think so…"

I chuckled, "Oh, no you don't. You said I was holding up _six_ fingers!" I exclaimed, and the humans burst into laughter. A few bots let out chuckles too. Seven bit his lip and Ratchet rolled his optics, suppressing a smirk.

The medic finally held up my T-Cog, letting all our eyes and optics fall on it. Everything was silent for a moment, then Miko piped up. "Dude, that's your spleen?" All the humans started laughing.

"It is called a T-Cog!" I growled. "I don't have to be a doctor to know what it does: it is the organ all Cybertronians possess which enables us to scan vehicles and transform."

"Hey Ratch, you sure we should give Screamy his wings back?" Miko dubiously asked him.

"Don't call me that!" The medic and I snapped in unison. "And no, I think the wisest course of action would be to consult Optimus when he–" Ratchet continued, but cut himself off as the all-too familiar rumble of an engine reverberated from a tunnel.

"Talk about timing, way to go doc!" Will applauded as Optimus Prime drove into the room and transformed.

"My name is not 'doc,' it's Ratchet." He huffed, rolling his optics and turned to his leader. Bulkhead and Bumblebee looked ready to transform out their blasters and start shooting at a moment's notice.

The Prime's surprised blue optics swept over the room, first seeing his double's dissected chassis on the floor, my and Arcee's injuries, Seven, the humans, and finally his compatriots. He looked ready to say something but the medic beat him to it.

"Optimus, what was your designation before you were made a Prime?" He asked suspiciously, but also with a tinge of hopefulness.

"Orion Pax." He answered without hesitation. "But I fail to see the relevance–"

"Just let me finish. Whom did you entrust with the key card to Vector Sigma?"

"Jack."

"What is my favorite color?"

"Seriously?" Will and Miko chortled.

Optimus looked more closely at him, clearly confused. "You do not have one."

"It's him." Ratchet declared. "I apologize, Optimus, but as you can see, we recently had an impostor in our midst."

"We haven't had time to clean up the body." Oliver added dryly.

"Did you find any energon?" Arcee queried hopefully.

The Prime shook his helm sadly, "None. It was already stripped away by the Decepticons before my arrival."

Miko balled her fists, "The next time I see Megatron, I'm going to stuff his oily claws down his throat." But then she glanced at Seven and I, worried she had gone too far.

"I am not planning on being there to stop you." I said with a slight smirk.

"Nor am I." My clone chimed in, picking absently at the bandage over his chest plating.

"Shall we let Starscream leave so the young doctor up on the _Nemesis_ can patch them up? Presently, he is better suited than I." Ratchet suggested. "Though personally, I am against it. We will be giving his wings and blasters back, only to potentially be used against us some day!"

"Would I really, after all we've been through?!" I shot back indignantly.

"Wouldn't be the first time." Arcee pointed out with a snarl.

Optimus looked down at the femme, "That may be, Arcee, but every sentient being possesses the capacity for change." he preached, "Starscream, do you wish to join the Autobots and help us end this conflict?" Prime's question drew me up short, but I also wasn't entirely surprised. Seven glanced at me like he already knew what I was thinking, which I couldn't say was a surprise either.

"I-I…" I gulped, having a sudden, intense interest in the wall.

"You aren't as mean as everyone says you are." Will threw out helpfully.

"Yeah, I don't think he hates us either." Oliver stage-whispered behind his hand to Ratchet. The medic rolled his optics and a couple of the humans chuckled.

"Not squishing you flat does not mean I don't hate you." I protested lamely.

"It does when it's him." Oliver added, still stage-whispering. Everyone looked at me expectantly, including my clone.

I wrung my servos, voice quavering. "It is official, Primus help me." Then they all surged towards me.


	30. 29 - Grill

XXIX - Grill

I panicked as the Autobots closed in, thinking I was under attack. Bumblebee reached me first and drew his arm back as if to punch me. The others formed a tighter and tighter circle, and I had no way to defend myself. There simply were too many of them, and too few of me. My hitching intakes came in fevered pants and I shrank back against the wall, trying to space as much distance between myself and the Autobots as possible.

But then the mood in the room spontaneously changed, or at least appeared to on my end. Ratchet gently pulled the scout back, realizing I was terrified. They all took a few steps back and Optimus came forward, kneeling in front of me. What I had perceived as anger was actually excitement, it now seemed more likely that the scout had wanted to give me a high-five. I was not about to do that either, however.

"You are safe, Starscream. And you made the right decision." He smiled warmly, a touch of remorse in those azure orbs.

 _Did I?_ I wondered, but it came out as "I hope so." I sagged back against the wall, "C-can you all just ground bridge Knock Out down here with my new pair of wings?"

Ratchet huffed, "I'm afraid that only Megatron's warship possesses the needed tools for the procedure."

"And how might you know that?" Seven wondered suspiciously, rubbing his thigh and wincing.

"I'm merely stating that we are not presently equipped here to accomplish such a task," he replied, "and that the young doctor is."

"Starscream," Optimus said gently, jerking my attention back onto him. "Do not think for a second that we will leave you stranded up there. I will give you our base's comm frequency so you can call for a bridge the minute you depart from the _Nemesis_."

I sighed, "I never thought I would utter this… but that's a relief."

"And I never thought I'd say this either, but Team Scream's now part of Team Prime!" Will shouted, and Oliver pumped a fist.

"Hey, that's great, but isn't there something you all are forgetting?" Jack suggested.

"And that would be…?" Arcee trailed off.

He now had everyone's attention, "MECH wheeled their bot right in here, that means they know where our base is."

* * *

"Knock Out?" I commed impatiently from the same clearing in the same Canadian forest where Seven, Will, and Oliver were previously with the Autobots. They had dumped me here after Optimus gave me their base's frequency. And no, I was not about to call it "our base." I almost began to play catch with my T-Cog but then thought better of it. Oh, and it was raining.

"I swear, this planet just loathes me. Is there ever a time when I'm outside and it _isn't_ trying to flood my circuits?" I grumbled to myself, kicking a pebble. Fortunately for me, it was only a light drizzle, but that didn't stop me from complaining to the clouds.

Knock Out finally answered after a small burst of static, "You certainly took your time."

I huffed, "As did you. Where is that bridge?"

"Where are you?" he countered.

I transmitted my coordinates. We both knew full well that the Decepticon bridge usages were tracked, thus, opening one in a random, underpopulated location such as this made it look like a squadron of drones scouting for energon. As if that was necessary, with Megatron having buried his claws into nearly all this rock's deposits.

"You had better make this quick. If Megatron catches me…" I grimaced, not wanting or needing to finish my thought.

"That would be… unpleasant." He agreed, and a bridge opened a couple paces in front of me.

"Welcome home." The red mech said sarcastically as I emerged from the bridge. I tossed my T-Cog at him and he caught it, fumbling a little. When he straightened, he laughed loudly, "You look so much shorter without wings!"

"Yes, I've been told that before." I growled and leaned back against a med berth, trying not to look at the wickedly sharp devices on a table next to me. The medic lowered an IV drip from somewhere above us, and I winced as he promptly plugged it into my left arm.

"Just so you know, this general anesthesia is fast-acting. You won't feel anything in a minute." He stopped, brooding. "You could save me all this trouble of replacing your wings by scanning a ground vehicle."

"And have to wallow in shame for the rest of my function?" I shot back. "Shall we just get this over with?" I sighed, not knowing whether to be anxious or excited.

"We shall," he transformed out a drill, smirking in a way I did _not_ like at all, "say 'ah.'"

* * *

"It's too quiet…" Oliver trailed off under his breath.

"Hey, where's Fowler?" Miko wondered, looking to Optimus. "He usually yells a bit. Or, we could pump some metal through the speakers! I've got my guitar ready to go!" We all wisely didn't acknowledge her last suggestion.

"Special Agent Fowler is being debriefed by General Bryce in response to the incident of MECH infiltrating our base." The Prime stated.

"Fun." Will said sarcastically. The human could always be relied upon for brevity.

"This is no joking matter, Will." Ratchet chided, finishing to shave off the last bit of metal from the newly welded metal on my wing filling in the gaping hole.

"He has a point," I agreed, craning my neck cables to see the medic's work.

"Hey, how're we gonna tell you two apart when Screamy's got his wings back?" Miko wondered, jabbing a finger in my faceplates.

"I say we give Sev here a new paint job." Bulkhead suggested. "Silver's kinda drab." He resumed mopping up the floor where Nemesis Prime's chassis had laid. The brute and Bumblebee had "properly disposed" of it after Starscream left, meaning they stuffed it into storage until they could figure out how to get rid of it. Dumping a giant robot into a trash bin outside a gas station might raise some eyebrows.

I glanced at Bulkhead and laid back down on the berth, "Starscream has a scar beneath his right optic. I do not."

"Again, he asked for it." The femme added from where she stood, giving me a disdainful look.

"Aye." Jack smirked. Everyone looked at him, "What? Can't I have fun?"

I rolled my optics in exasperation, "Humans."

"So, when's our, ah, _other_ new jet gonna get back?" Miko asked excitedly.

[I don't think he's going to take you for a flight.] Bumblebee chirped apologetically. Raf relayed it to the girl.

"Hey, I can try! He may be a 'Bot now, but we still gotta get him to like us." She offered.

"Scumming up his cockpit will your slimy little fingers will not earn you any points." I clarified and my wings twitched in amusement. Ratchet frowned at me as his tool slipped down my wing.

"Seven, the children are right." Optimus turned to me, "You and Starscream need to accept that they are as much a part of this team as we all are, present company included."

"Exempted." Arcee muttered.

"Still holding a grudge, are we?" I replied haughtily, "I wasn't even the one who terminated Cli–"

"Stop right there or I'll give you a matching scar." She hissed, stalking towards me.

I shrank back against the berth even after Optimus had stopped her, "N-now, let's not be hasty… there are children here…" I whimpered, referring to Oliver, who was at my thigh, and Miko, sitting on my arm, casually leaning against the missile as she picked something out of her pink hair.

"I'm saying this to you and so you can tell Starscream when he returns: Learn to hold your glossa, and maybe, just maybe, everyone you meet may not hate your very existence." And with that, she transformed and sped off out of the base.

Bumblebee made to go after her, but Optimus held out a servo. "No, she will come back when she is ready."

The scout buzzed in reluctant agreement.

"Guys, sorry to derail your train of thought, but MECH knows our base's location. Shouldn't we be moving instead of chatting?" Jack asked nervously, gripping the rails of the platform.

"Without my soon-to-be-double's T-Cog, they do not have enough weight on their end to tip the scales." I answered.

"Uh, English please?" Miko requested as she thumbed through something on her phone.

"He means they aren't really a threat anymore," Raf elaborated.

"You sure about that, Sev?" Bulkhead's optics narrowed skeptically, "We don't know what they still have left up their sleeves. I say we find out!" He bashed his fists together.

"They may know the location of our base, but we have yet to learn of theirs." Optimus reminded him.

"Then we'll be ready if they come slinking back here." The Wrecker smirked. Bumblebee's optics sparkled with amusement as he watched the green mech.

"You had better be." I growled. "I might just beat the gears out of them again."

"We should stuff a land mine in the welcome mat in case MECH comes banging its ugly head on our front door!" Miko suggested overenthusiastically, pigtails bobbing as she bounced on the balls of her feet.

Until now, I don't think Starscream or I have ever heard Ratchet laugh. Or even considered that minute possibility.

I smirked, "But how would we not get our legs blown off too?" I asked innocently. "My beautiful pedes…" that brought on another burst of laughter, this time coming from the humans.

Miko stifled a giggle, "Your new name is Mr. Heels. Learn to love it."

"I think my audials are malfunctioning, I can't fathom what you just said." I chuckled, but it transformed into a pained wheeze and I gripped my ravaged chest plate with the arm Miko wasn't on until the pain let up, hit by a fit of coughing. I slumped back against the berth, feeling as if it had spent all my energy.

"Seven, it's good that you are becoming accustomed to our base, however, I believe we should focus on present matters." Optimus said once I had recovered from the attack, optics darkening with concern. He laid a large servo on my wing—the one Ratchet wasn't working on. I assumed he wasn't aware of the fact that touching a Seeker's wings was a gesture of deep affection for that individual, and that the latter's systems were tuned to feel it. Even with the way I felt at present, I couldn't help but melt into the berth a bit. It felt fatherly… a human concept, but a comforting one.

"This is a present matter." Jack pressed, pulling me out of my reverie. I blinked and felt my optics brighten reflexively, realizing I was on the cusp of sliding into the sweet oblivion of recharge.

"Do the Decepticons know of your existence?" Optimus queried, turning his attention to the humans and dropped his servo.

"Knock Out does… but he doesn't know about my mom. Why?" Oliver asked, a confused expression dominating his features.

"I fear that the pair of you are potential targets now too." The Prime said somberly.

"Sleepovers!" Miko yelped excitedly, "Will, wait 'til Bulk here takes you for a spin! He's an animal! Rrr!" She made a growling noise, fingers mimicking claws.

"Isn't riding in a jet more fun?" Raf asked, looking to me.

"I don't know, I've never ridden in one." I made a quizzical look, but a smile cracked my faceplates and we all completely lost it. But my laughs turned to harsh, choking coughs that pierced my vocalizer, leaving it raw and me gasping for air. "I'm alright," I assured them lamely. "Or, I will be. I'll just… stay out of this one…" the conversation was wearing me down.

"I hope you get better real fast," Oliver smiled at me and patted a bandage on my left thigh. Miko was still by my arm on the same side, and Will was on the platform with the other two humans, watching from their higher vantage point.

"Last time Sev didn't do any barrel rolls." The girl added, pouting.

"He–" Will glanced down at me and his expression softened, "you should've been there when he felt like having some fun."

"I think I left my stomach somewhere over Alberta." Oliver chuckled. Miko's eyes widened and she grinned, looking to me excitedly.

"Don't bet on it." I replied tiredly, "However, we might just… manage to coerce… a different jet… into taking you, once he returns." Everyone smiled, including Optimus.

Ratchet seemed to be the only one who realized how tired I was and quieted them. "Go now, shoo, he is a long way from a full recovery, it will take quite some time and a lot of rest…"

I let the tip of one of my talons brush Oliver, "Go on now, listen to the–" I was cut off by a yawn, "–the good doctor… he knows what he's talking about…" I mumbled, my optics and helm growing heavier, "he'd better…"

* * *

My optics cracked open and I groaned quietly, blinking against the harsh light directly above me. My side was sore, which I took as a good sign.

"… well?" I asked after being able to more-or-less fight off drug-induced grogginess.

"Your T-Cog transplant was a success." The medic announced, "Yes, I am just that good," he smirked. My wings twitched with satisfaction beneath me. Another realization hit me like a blow: my _wings_.

A grin split my faceplates. I let out a loud sigh of relief I hadn't realized I'd been holding, "Ah, finally. I can't wait to take flight and soar above the clouds!"

He rolled his optics, "I'm sure it's overrated."

"As if _you_ would know. How long has it been?"

"Three, maybe four hours. Don't fret over it, Starscream, no one came in… or out, for that matter."

I shuttered my optics for a moment, "Well, at least that's a relief."

He pridefully flicked a mote of dust off his already gleaming red paint, "I also had a bit of spare time on my servos…" he trailed off as I pushed myself up into a sitting position. I noticed that the drip was gone from my arm, but I felt slightly nauseous. I supposed that was an unfortunate side effect of the surgery, but I should've known. It wasn't like I hadn't been in here before, but having my T-Cog back was worth it.

A new thought struck me. When I dreamed in the _Harbinger_ … the "future me" said strictly to " _not,_ NOT _retrieve your T-Cog from Silas, no matter what!"_

 _WHY?!_ I hadn't heard from him since, and had boiled it down to some kind of hallucination… maybe from the fact that I had lost so much energon in a short period of time and had been starving then to boot. And he had started to say something before I woke: "Would you rather–" _Would I rather what? Be flightless for the rest of my function? Those long months without my T-Cog were grueling enough!_

"What's got your turbines in a twist, Starscream?" Knock Out asked, snapping me back to reality.

"What? Heh—oh, it's, nothing." I replied not-too-convincingly. Desperate to change the subject, my optics fell on my gleaming servos. My eyebrows shot up, "You didn't."

"I most certainly did, what else was I to do until you came out of it?" he asked too innocently, picking a rotary buffer up off a table next to me, and swung it around in the light, eyeing it lovingly. "And I did more than spoil you, you're welcome by the way."

"Hm, call the Autobots to send a bridge for me, perhaps?" My servo jumped up to my faceplates, searching for the scar beneath my right optic but only finding the smooth metal of my cheek plate.

"You and your clone do seem to be hanging with that party quite a bit lately…" He mused, optics narrowing slightly as he crossed his arms. "And yes, I did remove that horrendous scar marring your visage."

"I didn't mind, if anything, it added a bit of character." I pouted, fingering where it had used to be.

He smirked, "'Horrendous' does suit you." I pretended not to hear him, but couldn't resist a scowl. "The Autobots… you were saying?"

I slid off the berth, "After aiding them in a few catastrophes—none of which Seven or I caused, mind you, I decided it is best to join forces with them."

He dropped the buffer, blinking rapidly. "You don't mean _permanently_?!"

"I am–it's too soon to tell." My wings ruffled uncomfortably and I fingered the Decepticon insignia in the center of my chest plate.

"Hm, and your leg was injured in one of the 'catastrophes.'" he guessed.

"Yes, I was caught in the thick of things…" My optics narrowed and I brushed my fingers over where the patch Ratchet applied used to be.

He saw where I was looking, "It's fine, I removed the patch and the only thing it needed was a little carnauba wax."

"I am not an automobile, in case you have failed to notice," I muttered dryly.

"Then even more of a reason why you should leave."

"An astute observation, doctor. I don't suppose an escort to the nearest exit would be out of order?"

"And risk my shiny finish?!" he typed away at a datapad, "Don't strain yourself. I need to update some bogus files: make them even more vague and whatnot." he lightly waved me away without even glancing up. I rolled my optics, _How typical._

"If Megatron terminates me, I will haunt you for eternity."

He smirked, glancing up, "Your fingertips would just ghost through my beautiful armor." And the doors closed, sealing me outside the med bay before he could've seen my scowl.

I flexed my wings, feeling another surge of satisfaction coupled with a huge grin coming on. Oh, how I ached to fly again, now more than ever before in all my function. I strutted down the long corridor, confident flames heating the underside of my chest plate. If Megatron were to cross my path right now, I probably would've slapped him and kept walking.

A couple turns and long hallways later, I arrived at the doors to the hangar, and beyond that, the flight deck. I allowed my wings to flutter in the cool, calm breeze atop the warship, gazing down at the forested landscape far beneath my pedes.

"Oh, what am I waiting for?!" I backed up, then sprinted forwards and dove off the ship helm-first like a diver into a pool. I started to transform, but my wings and the rest of my chassis spontaneously locked up. "What! My T-Cog is operational! Why isn't it–" I yelped as I fell through a cloud layer, the ground now rapidly speeding up to meet me. "Come on, come on, COME ON!" I screamed at myself as my chassis simply refused to fold into a jet, even when I attempted to do it manually.

I desperately opened a comm link to the Autobots' base while clawing madly at the air, "I need an emergency ground bridge beneath my coordinates, NOW!"

The ground continued to ascend, more than ready to meet me helm-on. I screamed, squeezing my optics shut right before the impact. And Knock Out said not to strain myself.

 _Sorry, doctor._

* * *

I jerked awake at a loud noise, disoriented and afraid. The main computer's communications uplink was open, and Starscream's voice rang through the base's main chamber loudly in a near-shrieking pitch.

"I need an emergency ground bridge beneath my coordinates, NOW!" The Seeker screeched. The humans covered their ears a bit too late.

Ratchet didn't bother answering, hurriedly triangulating his coordinates. He then pulled down the lever, activating a bridge and waved at the others to step back. Bumblebee tossed the old 'Bot his medical kit even before he could ask for it. He chirped out a comment.

"Yes, Bumblebee," Ratchet agreed, "we can't be too careful."

"Says the guy who tosses sensitive med equipment around." Will whispered, earning a couple lighthearted snickers.

My wings twitched nervously despite the human's weak attempt to lighten the mood, all sets of optics and eyes were glued to the green portal. Suddenly, it flashed brightly and Starscream jetted out of it, however, far from the way we expected if one was to judge by the escaping gasps. My double flew partly across the room and landed hard on the floor, skidding several feet and showering us with sparks, still in his bot mode with optics closed tight. But then they snapped open once he realized he wasn't moving anymore, and he stood, scraping grit from the floor off his chest plate.

"Dude, your wings!" Oliver grinned.

He flapped them for show, "You noticed," his tone was less than enthused, however.

"What happened?" Miko breathed.

"How did it go?" Ratchet pried, "As if I needed to ask." he added dryly.

"Yeah, spill." Bulkhead jumped in, and his tone implied an "or else."

"Quiet, all of you!" he snapped irritably, rubbing between his optics. "You're going to make my helm hurt…"

"Yes, yes, continue." Ratchet urged.

After glaring at the medic for a second, the Seeker continued, "Knock Out said the procedure was successful."

"Yes!" Will hissed pumping his fist.

"But I am not so sure." His wings fell and he suddenly looked weary.

"How so?" Optimus prodded.

"And what was with the bridge?" Jack asked.

"I, ah… dove off the _Nemesis_." he admitted sheepishly.

"Without testing your T-Cog first!" Ratchet exclaimed, "You could have gotten yourself scrapped!"

"And what makes that a bad thing?" Arcee muttered under her vocalizer. She must have returned on her own a short while ago, and I had tried to abide by her suggestion, not wanting a matching scar. My optics fell on where it was supposed to be on Starscream's faceplates, but it was gone. Bulkhead may have had a point with the idea of giving me a new paint job. Aside from my obvious injuries, now we were identical.

"And yet I didn't." My double said with an air about him, as if not dying was comparable to winning the lottery. "… except, my T-Cog refused to activate." He sighed, looking defeated.

"Will you–" Ratchet cut himself off as Starscream tried to transform, but partway down his wings bounced back up and there was a loud, unpleasant clicking noise.

"Sounds a bit like when my mom's car won't start." Raf remarked.

Starscream slammed a fist against the wall supporting the platform, "I can't transform!"

"Giving up so easily?" I jibed and eased into a sitting position.

My double glared at me and attempted to transform again. This time, some of his plating split apart and his wings shot out, but didn't get any farther than that. He cancelled his transformation sequence and his wings hung limp off of his back, optics dimming. "It's no good. I might as well never fly again."

"C'mon Star, don't give up yet!" Miko encouraged.

I got up off the berth and transformed before anyone could stop me—by the Allspark, did it hurt—and my vision dimmed as I was drenched in pain. I clenched my denta and hovered just out of reach. _You've been through worse, Seven._

"Seven… you–"

"Thank me later." I said with a grimace.

He attempted to transform again, in vain, and then Ratchet and Optimus tried to intervene. A couple thin bolts of white lightning appeared out of nowhere and crackled over my double's chest plate, so quickly that I might've imagined it. No one, Starscream included, appeared to have noticed it.

"You are recovering from surgery!" The medic gasped, trying to restrain him. "Same to you, Seven, your injuries are not yet fully healed! Go easy on yourselves!"

"RELEASE ME! I have my wings and T-Cog now, and I refuse… to be stopped… by a GLITCH!" He screeched, scrabbling at the medic. I flew up a bit higher, just to be safe.

"Seven, stop taunting Starscream." Optimus ordered.

Not wanting to be shot at or otherwise harmed, I descended, still out of their reaches and backed up, coming to a stop hovering above the platform, bobbing gently. Starscream glowered at me, his crimson optics fuming with a barely contained fury. Grinding his denta, he wrenched out of the medic's hold and tried to transform again. There was a flurry of moving metal and the rage on his faceplates brightened into ecstasy faster than he folded into a jet. A number of the humans let out loud whoops.

He shot down the tunnel leading to the outside of the base, engine roaring. Grinning at myself, I swooped away from the platform and transformed. My legs gave out as I landed—the pain was too much. Every time I transformed, it was like Megatron was tearing into my wounds again with white-hot claws. Tendrils of liquid fire coursed up my legs and into my chest plate, growing hotter with each wave, surging into my processor…

"Seven, Seven? Can you hear me?" Ratchet asked, helping me to my pedes. I took a rattling intake and sank down onto the med berth, touching a servo to my ruined chest plate. "Seven?"

"I suppose so." I sighed. I could feel that some of my wounds had reopened, but I healed fast, and the only thing that could fix this was time. And time was most definitely something I had much of now, and I could rest without leaving one optic open. This wasn't the wilderness or the _Nemesis_ , thank the Allspark. If Optimus was true to his word, I was safe. It was a strange, new feeling, almost like a warm blanket had been pulled snug around my shoulder plates. I sighed and got comfortable on the berth, savoring how the pain ebbed.

Bulkhead watched the tunnel Starscream had shot down, smirking faintly. "He'll be back."

"Of course he will." Arcee added.

Optimus nodded, a light smile gracing his faceplates as well and he looked down at me as if he could read my mind. "And we shall be waiting."

* * *

I flew out of the Autobots' base at speeds that would send tears streaming off any human's face. I whooped and turned my attention to the execution dizzying corkscrews, dives, hairpin turns, and barrel rolls that would even have left Miko green. The familiar feel of tearing through the sky, the wind gushing past my aerodynamic fuselage brought back euphoric memories, such as the first time I had flown the course at the Cybertron War Academy—right after I had left the science field for the battlefield. Instantly then, I knew I was a natural. It was number one on the short list of things that I've always been good at, and thus taken massive amounts of pride in taking to the skies.

Finally, I leveled out, panting, but in a far better mood than I had been in a long time. I dipped and wove a little, wingtips skimming the tops of stray clouds for an endless silent moment, aside from the perpetual whine of my engine. I slowly banked around in an even arc back to our base and landed on top of the butte, flexing my wings and pumping a fist.

"It's good to be back." I grinned.


End file.
